But Bryant's injury was actually worrisome to Jerry Sloan, perhaps as much as to Jackson. He has seen this before. In 1997, with the championship series tied 2-2, Chicago's Michael Jordan showed up with a reported 102-degree temperature. All he did was score 38 points to lead the Bulls to victory over the Jazz. Next game they wrapped up the title.

"That makes me a little bit uncomfortable," said Sloan, when asked on Tuesday about Bryant's injury. "Most great players play better when they're hurt than when they're not."

On Wednesday, Bryant was something short of Jordanesque.

In fairness, Bryant wasn't the only guy hurting this week. Utah's Carlos Boozer has been struggling with a bad back of his own. Deron Williams has been buffeted like a pinata since Day One of the playoffs. Mehmet Okur has a bad Achilles. Various injuries have sidelined and slowed Laker players, too.

But when you're the MVP, your problems are always bigger. Your colds become the flu, your headaches become migraines, your bruises become contusions. Thus, Bryant showed up for warm-ups and promptly made eight straight perimeter shots. Didn't look like he was

hurting in any way. Same with his first shot of game game, a 3-pointer from the elbow. Perfect. Next shot, dead-on fade. Perfect, as well.

Injury? To what, his ego?

That's not to say Bryant was great. While he was busy building a case for yet another run of "Kobe Rocks" articles, his back pain seemed to be worse on the other end of the court. Ronnie Brewer, whom Bryant was supposed to be guarding, got three fast dunks and actually outscored Bryant 10-9 in the first period.

Though the Lakers led by as many as 12, the Jazz weren't about to be cowed. They tied the score at 69 and tied it several times again. Bryant was there in the background. An assist there, a free throw there. Down the stretch, he mostly passed off.

Not what the TV people had hoped, but enough.

It wasn't a perfect story, but it often isn't.

Still, it had the ending the Lakers wanted most.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com