After a KO in Finals, Lakers want rematch
LOS ANGELES - With respect to the Pistons, LeBron James and the Cavaliers, and the other talented teams in the Eastern Conference, the Lakers don't want to see you when it's all said and done this season.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are seeking revenge, and their preference is to see their bitter rivals, the Celtics, in the NBA Finals again in hopes of making amends for last season.
"Of course, [I want Boston]," Bryant said. "If you see a guy that you fought at lunchtime and he knocked you out, oh, I'm coming back the next day. I don't want the little 4-foot guy. I want the big football player, that's what I want."
Lamar Odom said, "You always want to play against the team you lost to. They're a heck of a team. I would love to play against Boston, personally."
The Lakers were heavily favored over the Celtics in the Finals last season. The Celtics, however, had home-court advantage, three All-Stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, and the league's most heralded defense.
The Celtics took a 3-1 series lead after overcoming a 24-point deficit in Los Angeles to win an epic Game 4. Lakers coach Phil Jackson acknowledged that defeat is still a bitter pill to swallow. The Celtics lost Game 5 in LA, but came home to destroy the Lakers in Game 6, 131-92, to win their first NBA championship in 22 years.
"We got our [butts] kicked," Odom said. "That's why we are looking forward to getting back there this year. They beat us. Sometimes you get beat by an opponent that's worthy and you can't do nothing but tip your hat off at them and get ready for the next time we meet."
The Lakers were sent packing with lots of time to think about what went wrong and what they needed to improve upon. The most notable area of improvement? Their defense.
"One thing we understood is you have to be better defensively," Bryant said. "Offensively, we were fine. Defensively, we had areas where we have to get better in, more consistent, which is what Boston is great at. They're a great defensive team consistently. That's one thing we are focused on: defense and rebounding."
Said Jackson, "The one thing that registered is you can't trust offense all the time in basketball. You have to set your sights on defense. You have to make sure your defense can hold the game in check."
One unanswered question is whether the Lakers would have won if starting center Andrew Bynum had been healthy.
The Celtics were 2-0 against the Lakers with Bynum in the lineup during the regular season, but that was before Pau Gasol arrived in a trade from Memphis. Bynum missed the last 47 games and playoffs with a left knee injury. Bynum is back, but he is still getting the rust off and learning to adjust to playing with Gasol. The Lakers have a mammoth inside presence with Bynum and Gasol and have Odom coming off the bench.
"[Bynum] is coming along fine," Bryant said. "Over the past week, he and Pau have been playing with the first unit. Obviously, [Bynum] plays much better when he plays with [the first team] because we know how to get him the ball.
"He looks fine."
Sure, the Lakers have talented players and one of the NBA's greatest coaches. But their hopes of getting back to the Finals are squarely on the shoulders of Bryant. One thing to watch, however, is the 2008 MVP's health by the time the playoffs start.
Bryant, 30, played in 103 games combined last season. He also played for the United States' gold medal-winning Olympic team over the summer.
Bryant, entering his 13th NBA season, decided not to have surgery to fix a right pinkie finger injury suffered last February. He also hyperextended his right knee during an exhibition game against Charlotte last Tuesday, but expects to be ready for the season opener Tuesday against Portland.
"We've talked about his legs being alive and things like that," Jackson said. "I ask him if he wants a day off or whatever, and he's taken a couple of practices off, but not a day off. I think his shot is flat. I don't think he is shooting as well as he'd like to. I don't think he's shooting a high percentage, so you're kind of looking at that [during the exhibition season].
"Finger-wise, that injury, if he caught his finger in someone's jersey, no matter whether he had the surgery or not, [it] would probably get dislocated. So, it's his choice not to do [surgery]. He says he can adjust to that. I don't know if his shot is going to be as effective. I think it will be. We'll watch the rotation on his shot to see if it's similar or close to it. I think he's setting himself up really right for the season."
Bryant says he's just fine, despite the concerns.
"I feel fantastic. I feel great. I feel good," said Bryant, who averaged 28.3 points per game last season. "I didn't have to do that much [during the Olympics]. I had to practice for about an hour and play 15-17 minutes. I probably would have been doing more [back home]. You got in shape. You went in and played 17-20 minutes and sat down. It wasn't as stressful or straining a summer as people may think.
"My hand is fine. My finger is fine. I'm just building strength in my hand so I can palm the ball the way I want to.
"But it's fine."
The Lakers are more talented and experienced, and deeper than they were a season ago. But the big question is whether Bryant and Bynum will be healthy enough to get the Lakers past Western powers such as New Orleans, San Antonio, and Utah.
"This year we ran two-a-day [practices in training camp], and that was basically to get them back to the idea that this is hard work," Jackson said. "There is not anything to take for granted. This is a very difficult process, especially going through the teams we have to go through to get to the Finals here in the West. There is nothing to take for granted, and the idea that home-court advantage is an important aspect of the playoffs is something that lingers in our minds."
Said Odom, "As a team that had a long run, we're looking forward to getting back in the midst of things and trying to get that championship ring."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com 