Mike D’Antoni and Kobe Bryant teamed up in 2012 to win a gold medal at the London Olympics. (GETTY IMAGES)

Remember when you wanted to ask your dream girl to the dance, but she says she was too busy and turns you down. So, you had to resort to Plan B and settle for your not-so-stunning-but-decent-enough girlfriend to go out with you.

That’s what the Los Angeles Lakers did Sunday when they hired ringless coach Mike D’Antoni to replace Mike Brown after the team couldn’t complete a deal with 11-time NBA championship coach Phil Jackson. D’Antoni is decent coach with a very good reputation around the league. He can certainly coach offense, as his previous teams (the Suns and Knicks) were always near the top in scoring averages. As coach of the Suns, he got to the conference finals twice and was one Robert Horry hip check away from reaching the NBA Finals in 2007.

Despite all those solid credentials, D’Antoni is not Jackson. Not even close. D’Antoni has never gotten past the conference finals and his last few weeks in New York were tumultuous. Defense has never been his forte; that’s why he hired Mike Woodson to be his unofficial defensive coordinator in New York.

The Lakers and D’Antoni’s agent, Warren LeGarie, confirmed the deal two days after the Lakers fired Brown five games into the season. D’Antoni agreed to a three-year deal worth $12 million, with a team option for a fourth season.

Jackson met with Lakers owners Jerry and Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday to weigh a return for a third stint in L.A. According to Yahoo! Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski, Jackson wanted to have a greater role in personnel decisions and some allowances in travel. He also reportedly wanted to “humiliate” Jim Buss far more than he wanted to coach the Lakers. Not surprisingly, the Lakers — still one of the proudest franchises in the Association despite all the drama that has surrounded the team the past decade — didn’t give in to Jackson’s power play and moved quickly to D’Antoni.

Lakers point guard Steve Nash enjoyed his MVP seasons under D’Antoni. Nash perfected D’Antoni’s “Seven seconds or less” offensively philosophy, and reuniting with his former coach should re-energize the 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer.

Nash was definitely on board with the Lakers’ new hire. The other vote of confidence and thumbs came from the alpha male of the Lakers franchise, Kobe Bryant.

There was no doubt Bryant wished, asked, prodded, and pushed for Jackson to return to L.A. But Bryant won’t object to D’Antoni.

Bryant idolized D’Antoni while growing up in Italy, where D’Antoni was a star player for Olimpia Milano in the Italian pro league. D’Antoni also has been an assistant coach on various U.S. national teams featuring Bryant, including the gold medal-winning squad at the London Olympics.

And most certainly Bryant will embrace D’Antoni’s shoot-first-ask-questions-laker mantra. Kobe finally has a coach who understands his never-ending thirst for shooting and scoring every time the court because that’s what D’Antoni did when he dominated Europe as a player.

The 61-year-old D’Antoni underwent knee replacement surgery earlier this month, and could be physically limited early in his tenure. But the Lakers went through an entire season with a gimpy Jackson in 2010-11 so this won’t be an issue at all — unless, of course, they start losing games.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Mike Brown was fired as Lakers coach after a 1-4 start in the 2012-13 season. (GETTY IMAGES)

So, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to fire Mike Brown on Friday afternoon just 71 games into his Laker coaching career.

I thought it was a horrible time to make the move, to be brutally honest. The Lakers had several new key players (Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Antawn Jamison) and a brand new system to install, the Princeton offense. Howard’s clearly not 100% yet, Nash got hurt and Jamison’s playing time was severely limited. That last one is the only real problem I had with Brown, his substitution pattern was highly questionable.

There is no way Bernie Bickerstaff is the permanent replacement and L.A. general manager Mitch Kupchak confirmed that at the press conference. So, let’s take a look at the options to replace Brown:

Phil Jackson

This is the one Lakers fans want to take place. NBA insiders are mixed on whether or not he would come back. The fact Howard is asking for Jackson to return has to be an ego booster for Phil, and he is reportedly in good physical health. Bringing back the Zen-master for a third time would be ideal because he is familiar with most of the players and Howard would give him one of the best big men he has ever had.

Mike D’Antoni

D’Antoni would bring a high-octane offense and has experience coaching Steve Nash in Phoenix and Kobe in the Olympics, but it just wouldn’t be that feasible to run older players like Kobe, Nash, and Pau Gasol ragged. They wouldn’t have much left in the tank for the postseason. However, he and Jackson have to be the favorites to be the Lakers’ next coach.

Nate McMillan

McMillan doesn’t have a flashy career coaching record. He has won just 51.4% of his 930 career games, but when you look a little closer it isn’t a big deal. Not when he coached in Seattle at the end of Gary Payton’s tenure there and they went into rebuild mode. And he was the architect of rebuilding the Trail Blazers, winning just 21 and 32 games the first two years, but they improved enough to win 54 games.

Byron Scott has only won 45.8% of his games, but very few people would say he can’t coach. Very few coaches that take over reclamation projects post gaudy win-loss records. The knock on him is his playoff record (just 14 wins and 20 losses), but he has never had the talent he would have in L.A.

Brian Shaw was the smart choice when Phil walked away, but it’s unlikely Shaw would return after the way things ended before. And I just don’t see Jerry Sloan coming to Los Angeles after the way his tenure ended in Utah with Deron Williams.

Despite my initial reaction when I heard Brown was fired, I think Jackson will see the moves the Lakers made in the offseason and ultimately decide to come back. Especially, if Jeanie Buss has anything to say about it. Women have their ways of getting what they want.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

Lakers star Kobe Bryant is surrounded by reporters at the team's practice facility in El Segundo. (US PRESSWIRE)

You can’t blame Kobe Bryant for looking and feeling a little surly these days.

On the eve of training camp and the start of the 2011 free agency period, the Lakers thought they had All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a three-team deal. Just hours after the CP3 trade began circulating, commissioner David Stern nixed the trade citing the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets were not getting enough in return.

Days after the Paul trade fell apart, the Lakers moved popular teammate Lamar Odom, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. How did Bryant react to the news? He said “I hope management knows what they’re doing!” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for general manager Mitch Kupchak and team executive Jim Buss.

Then, on Wednesday, the Clippers – the junior varsity team of Staples Center – landed the coveted Paul, and the Twitterverse started blowing up with plenty of chatter on how the Clippers have now surpassed the Lakers as the No. 1 in Los Angeles.

Two days later, on a very windy Friday afternoon in Southern California, TMZ reported that Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” and asked for joint custody of the couple’s two daughters. TMZ said Vanessa is ending the 10-year marriage because Kobe has been unfaithful.

Talk about a rough last 48 hours for the Black Mamba! No wonder he left Friday’s practice without speaking to the media and was extra terse with reporters on Thursday when he was asked about the CP3 deal to the crosstown rival Clippers.

Despite all the trouble in Lakerland, Kobe Bryant remains focused on the task at hand, which is to chase his sixth NBA championship ring and a 17th title to the Lakers franchise.

Bryant reportedly looks great in practice and his troublesome knee seems to be healing well. Bryant still has 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to lean on offensively and defensively, and he still has good friend Derek Fisher by his side when things get crazy in the locker room. Newly acquired forward Josh McRoberts is a terrific athlete who will add energy and punch off the bench, and could start on occasion should Bynum or Gasol gets hurt. And don’t think for one second that the Lakers are done wheeling and dealing. They are still in play to obtain All-Star center Dwight Howard and they are still in the market for a point guard.

There are lots of questions left to be answered for the Lakers, including how the team will function without Phil Jackson’s trusty triangle offense and how long it will take them to trust first-year head coach Mike Brown. But one thing is for certain, Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the league and he will never allow the Lakers to play second-fiddle to anyone, especially the Clippers.

Kobe will file all the negativity surrounding his life and use them as motivation. Don’t ever count out Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Lakers forward-center Pau Gasol is defended by his brother, Marc Gasol, during a Lakers-Grizzlies game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Grizzlies came into Staples Center and embarrassed the defending NBA champions 104-85. The Lakers have now lost three of their last four home games, and the one win was a four-point struggle against the lowly 76ers. Is there trouble in L.A.?

“We didn’t execute well, and defensively we were poor,” Kobe Bryant told reporters on Sunday night after the loss, the Lakers’ 11th of the season. “We’ve just got to come out focused and ready to play. It’s tough when you have to try to regenerate that energy every single night. It starts individually. You have to look at yourself and try to find things to get you going. Right now we can’t beat anybody, but we’ll be fine.”

Phil Jackson agreed with Kobe about the lack of focus, but the Lakers head man also got very specific during his postgame press conference regarding the team’s struggles offensively.

“It’s a matter of focus. We didn’t use our strengths, which is our inside players,” Jackson said. “Pau gets nine shots during the course of a game, some of it is his own responsibility, but we didn’t use that focus that we have in the ballgame.”

Jackson continued, “We started off the game with Pau scoring six out of our eight points, but he didn’t score again in the half.  He’s too good of a player for a game like that.”

Translation, Jackson wants Kobe and Co. to FOCUS on getting the ball inside to Pau Gasol and, to an extent, Andrew Bynum. The Lakers have the best low-post players in the league the Zen Master wants his team to initiate their triangle offense through their big men and play the game inside-out, something Kobe and Co. failed to do against the Grizzlies.

“As a result, we get behind early in the third quarter on some stupid plays. You know, poor passing, poor transition defense,” Jackson explained, “and Kobe has to screw up the game and start energizing the team by going one-on-one and takes the rest of the guys out. As a consequence, that did bring us back in and it did gives us a little run and we did get the game back a little bit, but we couldn’t sustain it. And we just went right back and made the same mistakes again.”

Gasol is not really an in-your-face-demand-the-ball kind of guy, so Jackson is basically acting as his mouth piece in this case. Remember the old Shaquille O’Neal line of “feeding the big dog.” Well, the Lakers need to feed their Spaniard if they want him to remain hungry for a third consecutive NBA title.

Fisher told ESPN News’ Sara Walsh on Friday, “I’m going to be real. Other than just going out and playing against a good team, it’s not necessarily personal. Of course, I want a win against the Heat on Christmas Day. That’s the best gift I can give myself.”

Things just got more interesting in the budding rivalry between the Lakers and the Heat.

Fisher is one of the more politically correct people in the league, so he’s not going to drag this brewing issue to the media. However, don’t be surprised if Fisher sends LeBron a little message in the form of a forearm to the chest. Remember the Luis Scola play? Things could get a little testy. Here’s a look at the matchups:

Dwyane Wade could be matched up against Kobe Bryant for much of today's highly anticipated contest. (GETTY IMAGES)

GUARDS: Other than Dwyane Wade, the Heat really don’t have much while the Lakers have a wealth of experience in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. The only way this position matchup evens out is if Carlos Arroyo or Mario Chalmers has a career game – which is probably not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if Wade guards Kobe for the majority of the game. If he does, Wade’s offense will suffer a little bit because he’ll have to waste a lot of energy on defense. If he doesn’t, then his buddy LeBron will likely draw the assignment, but that would mean Wade would have to guard Ron Artest which is no walk in the park either. EDGE: LAKERS

FORWARDS: LeBron James will likely face Ron Artest in a head-to-head showdown worth the price of admission. Artest may be the only player in the league who can dislodge LeBron off the box, and the Lakers don’t have to send an extra defender toward LeBron because Artest can play him straight up. The Chris Bosh-Lamar Odom matchup is an interesting one. Both are lefties and both are streak shooters. Against any other team, Artest and Odom should prevail. But against a Heat squad with two All-Star forwards, the Lakers will have their hands full. EDGE: HEAT

CENTER: The Heat may have The Big Three but the Lakers have The Hollywood Hills in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol will start the game, but expect Andrew Bynum to have a major impact in the game off the bench. Outside of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Heat don’t have another 7-footer who can bother The Hills. Gasol and Bynum are matchup nightmares for 29 teams in the league, and the Lakers are nearly unbeatable when both are healthy. The Heat will be at a severe disadvantage. EDGE: LAKERS

COACHING: Erik Spoelstra is one of young, bright coaches in the league but, let’s get real, he’s facing a living legend in Lakers mastermind Phil Jackson. End of story. EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: LeBron and D-Wade need to be extra special for the Heat to have a chance, while the Lakers just need to play their normal game to take control of the game. Lakers win, 99-93.

As good as Kobe Bryant is – and he’s in the Michael Jordan conversation should he win another championship ring – the Lakers’ greatest weapon is their length. Seven-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (when healthy) form the best twin towers since Olajuwon and Sampson. Then, you add 6-10 Lamar Odom into the mix and you have arguably one of the best and deepest frontlines in league history.

Oh, and the Lakers have a guy name Kobe on their team. I hear he’s pretty good. Bryant remains the most feared clutch player in the league and nobody closes a game better than the Black Mamba. He did it six times last season. Six times! LeBron James doesn’t have six game-winners for his career. And when Kobe is covered, the Lakers can always turn to Derek Fisher. The Lakers’ co-captain is one of the best big-game players in the Association (see Game 3 against the Celtics in the NBA Finals), but his importance stretches beyond the basketball court. Bryant, oftentimes, leans on D-Fish, who is the ONLY player on the Lakers’ roster who has Kobe’s ear – and that includes the assistant coaches.

Phil Jackson insists that this will be his last year. The Zen Master would love nothing more than to close out his Hall-of-Fame career with a 12th NBA championship and his fourth 3-peat. Can’t wait for Phil’s next book. It could titled “The Dirty Dozen,”  and “dirty” in a good way.

The Lakers are the clear-cut favorites to win the West again, and the rest of the conference will be playing for spots 2-8. The last four playoff positions probably wont’ be determined until the last day of the season. Holdovers San Antonio and Denver will be fighting off Portland, Houston, Phoenix, Sacramento and Memphis all season for the fifth and sixth seeds, but the final two berths could come down to the Blazers, Rockets, Suns, Kings and Grizzlies.

OneManFastBreak.net publisher and editor Joel Huerto predicts the eight teams that will make the Western Conference playoffs:

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (Projected record: 60-22)
Kobe Bryant has basically accomplished everything in his illustrious career. Should he win another title, it would be his sixth and that would tie him with his idol Michael Jordan. Kobe would have to go through, most likely, Miami or Boston to win his sixth ring and beating LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in The Finals certainly is more impressive than Jordan beating John Stockton and Karl Malone. A sixth championship definitely puts Kobe in the same conversation – dare I say – with The Great MJ, and cements Bryant as the best player of his generation. With a healthy Andrew Bynum, the Lakers boasts the best six-man rotation in the Association: Fisher, Kobe, Ron Artest, Gasol, Bynum and Odom.

Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are all back to defend their NBA title. (REUTERS)

2. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER  (Projected record: 59-23)
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will benefit from their experience in the FIBA World Championship, and the Thunder will make that leap from pretenders to contenders. Oklahoma City gave the Lakers a run for their money during last year’s playoffs, extending the series to six games on pure youthful exuberance. Now, with another year under their belts, Durant and Co. should win the Northwest Division and challenge for homecourt in the Western Conference. Speaking of KD, the reigning NBA scoring champion showcased his clutchness during the FIBA Worlds, as he almost single-handedly carried Team USA to the gold medal. Many experts are picking Durant to win the MVP, and hard to disagree with that prediction. Here’s another bold prediction: OKC will play the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

3. UTAH JAZZ  (Projected record: 57-25)
Am I the only one in the basketball who thinks that Al Jefferson is an upgrade over Carlos Boozer? Most observations believe that the Jazz took a step back when the All-Star power forward left town and headed for Chicago. I disagree. When healthy, Jefferson is a very underrated post player, probably one of the five best in the West. He’s a 20-10 player who is taller (6-10 vs. 6-8) than Boozer, who struggled mightily against the Lakers’ lengthy big men during the playoffs. The Jazz are also more versatile with Jefferson, who can play center on occasion, and this allows high-energy guy Paul Millsap more court time. With Boozer gone, there is no doubt that Deron Williams is now the face of the franchise. D-Will is up to the challenge and he should be good enough to lead his team to 55 wins.

4. DALLAS MAVERICKS  (Projected record: 55-27)
The new-look Mavs gave a very weak performance in the first round and got bounced by their nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs. Head coach Rick Carlisle pressed the panic button a little bit during that series and he probably cost his team the series when he failed to insert Roddy Beaubois earlier than he did. Owner/president/head coach/general manager Mark Cuban has publicly pushed for Carlisle to use the lightning-quick Frenchman, who could turn into a major player and make the Mavs more dynamic on offense. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but injuries have derailed his progress. Dirk Nowitzki is a year older, but he continues to play at a very high level. He has more help now with Caron Butler and Shawn Marion, and the addition of center Tyson Chandler will bolster the frontcourt but not enough to overcome the Lakers and the Thunder in the West.

5. DENVER NUGGETS  (Projected record: 53-29)
Having George Karl back is huge for the Nuggets. The players like him and he knows this team better than anyone. All the trade talk that surrounds Carmelo Anthony will disappear should the Nuggets start winning. The addition of Al Harrington provides more firepower to an already potent offense. The health of Nene is key because he gives the Nuggets a legitimate low-post scorer. Chauncey Billups may be a year older, but he remains one of the best point guards in the league. Karl will try to minimize Billups’ minutes by expanding the role of Ty Lawson. The wild card here is J.R. Smith. When Smith is hot, the Nuggets become a special team. When he’s  cold,  the Nuggets become ordinary.

6. SAN ANTONIO SPURS (Projected record: 52-30)
Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches in the league, and he’ll need all his managerial skills to keep his aging team from falling completely off the playoff chart. Tim Duncan came into training camp in good shape, but it is hard to ignore all the mileage TD has on his odometer. Manu Ginobili signed an extension last year and he rewarded the Spurs with one of his best seasons as a pro. Ginobili remains the X Factor for the Spurs because no one on the roster can duplicate what he can do on the court. This is a contract year for Tony Parker so he’ll be motivated to play well. If the Spurs struggle, don’t be surprised if they trade Tony P. before the deadline. George Hill and DeJuan Blair emerged as big-time contributors last season, and their roles should expand this season. The addition of Tiago Splitter allows Duncan to move to his preferred power forward slot and gives San Antonio a better option at center.

7. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS  (Projected record: 51-31)
At times, the Trail Blazers seem a little dysfunctional. Brandon Roy wants more touches, Andre Miller is not happy with his role, Rudy Fernandez is homesick and wants to return to Europe, and head coach Nate McMillan can’t seem to find the right combination on the court. But somehow, Portland always manages to get in the playoffs and it’ll be the same story this season. The X factor is Greg Oden. If he can stay upright, which is a big IF, the Blazers could move up in the standings. The odds are stacked against  him, though. The Curse of Sam Bowie is very much alive.

8. HOUSTON ROCKETS  (Projected record: 50-32)
Doctors have told the Rockets to limit Yao Ming’s court time to 24 minutes so, as an insurance policy, Houston picked up Brad Miller. This may be one of the best acquisitions during the offseason. Miller is very familiar with Rick Adelman’s Princeton offense and one of the best passing big men in the league. Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks gives the Rockets a very explosive backcourt. Both can create their own shot and are fearless. With Trevor Ariza gone, Shane Battier moves back into  the starting lineup. Luis Scola recently signed a long-term deal to stay in Houston and his presence should not be underestimated.

The Associated Press is reporting that Phil Jackson will return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2010-11 season, putting off retirement for at least another year to chase his 12th NBA championship.

Jackson made the announcement Thursday with a news release. The Hall-of-Fame coach said last week he was leaning toward retirement after another long season, but he changed his mind after getting a week to rest up at his offseason home in Montana.

With Jackson at the helm, the Lakers recently won their second consecutive NBA championship – their fifth under Jackson – should be the prohibitive favorites to repeat next season.

Jackson, who will turn 65 later this year, says next season will be “a last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.”

Going after a possible fourth “three-peat” was just too much for Jackson to pass up, and the Lakers have all the pieces to make another title run. Kobe Bryant is still in his prime years, Pau Gasol has developed into a first-team All-NBA performer and Andrew Bynum is expected to make a full recovery from his torn meniscus on his right knee.

“He knows how badly I want him back. Let’s go for it again,” Bryant said shortly after the Lakers won Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Jackson has been dealing with health issues for the past four seasons, mainly knee, back and hip ailments. He struggles to get through long road trips because he can’t sit in an airplane for long hours, and he needs a customized “booster” chair on the bench to alleviate his back pain.

Since Jackson came to L.A. in 1999, the Lakers have been to the NBA Finals seven times. Jackson is the winningest coach in the league in terms of championships, and if you include his two rings as a player he has been a part of 13 championship teams.

“He wasn’t able to move fluidly in the second half,” Jackson said. “He just said ‘Take me out, I can’t run.’ He had some swelling in the back of his leg, and we’ll have to work on that, ice it down and control that.”

Jackson added: “Of course it concerns us. Both teams are playing without players at this time. You just have to gut it through.”

Bynum, 22, has been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee since the first round and he re-aggravated the injury in Game 3 of The Finals and has been limited since. He is averaging 9.6 points per game in the series.

The 7-foot center started Game 6 but scored just two points, was 1-for-4 from the field and had just four rebounds. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday, but is expected to play in Game 7.

So, after losing two of three in Boston, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and team co-captain Kobe Bryant were in very salty moods. And who can blame them? For the first time in the 2010 NBA postseason, the Lakers trail a best-of-seven series 3-2 and are on the brink of elimination. Bryant and Jackson have had to answer a boatload of questions regarding the team’s shortcomings, but in reality, the Celtics should be given credit for holding serve and now it’s the Lakers’ turn to do the same.

“If you look at it they’ve come home and carried the 3-2 lead back and it’s basically homecourt, homecourt. Now we’re going back to [our] homecourt, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Jackson explained.

When Jackson was asked about the leaky Lakers defense, the Lakers coach pretty much dismissed it and thought L.A. defended well enough to win Game 5.

“If I’m not mistaken they scored 92 points, am I right? We’ll live with that and come back and play that game again, regardless of what they shot,” Jackson said. “They had their run, we know they’re gonna have their run and as I told the players before the game this team is going to shoot well one of these games. They haven’t shot well, yet, on their homecourt so they’re gonna have a game when they shoot well and you’re just going to have hang with them.”

Boston’s defense has gotten much of the credit for putting the Celtics ahead in this series, and Bryant believes the team dominates the hustle board and plays with more efficiency on offense has come out on top.

Kobe Bryant says the Lakers have a challenge ahead of them down 3-2 in the NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

“They got all the hustle points, got all the loose balls and offensive rebounds down the stretch,” Bryant said. “They just got to every ball. They played with more tenacity than we did, and we have to do a much better job in Game 6.”

Bryant continued: “They do a good job defensively. We normally do a good job moving the ball. We missed a lot of shots. We shot 37 percent, but that’s a testament to their defense as well. To be honest with you, the offensive part of the game kinda comes and goes. I just felt like defensively we weren’t very good at all. We didn’t get any stops. They shot layup, after layup, after layup. Can’t survive when a team shoots 57 percent.”

So, how confident is Bryant that his Lakers can win these next two games at home to win the NBA title?

“Nah, I’m not very confident at all,” Bryant joked, then broke into a wide grin to accentuate his sarcasm.

“We have a challenge, obviously, down 3-2. It is what it is,” Bryant said. “You go home, you got two games at home that you need to win. Pull your boots up and get to work.”

Andrew Bynum is expected to have his ailing right knee examined today and his status for Game 5 is uncertain.

Bynum has been playing with a torn meniscus since the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs, but he reaggravated the injury in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Lakers officials say there is swelling in the knee and Bynum has experienced some discomfort. He played just 12 minutes in Game 4 and scored just two points.

“I haven’t got any expectations. I don’t know what his condition is today,” Jackson said at his Friday morning news conference.

Jackson inserted Bynum in the starting lineup last night, but opted for Lamar Odom in the second half as Bynum received extra treatment at halftime. But when he returned, he was ineffective and appeared limited in his movement.

Not having Bynum for much of Game 4 really compromised the Lakers’ interior  defense as the Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 41-34, and dominated them, 54-34, in points in the paint.

“They miss him,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the Lakers’ 7-foot center. “He’s got great size and length. We attacked the paint and obvioulsy he wasn’t there. When he’s not on the floor there’s a big difference.”

Because Game 5 is not until Sunday, the Lakers will use these next two days to evaluate Bynum’s injury before making a decision on his playing status. Though it was a little bit of a struggle to get through Game 4 Jackson said Bynum still had an impact in the game.

“Even with him dragging the leg around a little bit, he still helped us in situations last night. Andrew still has the length and the strength to capture rebounds.

“We’ll use him if he’s available and able. But we’re certainly not going to put him in situations that’s going to hurt himself or the team.”