For a team, like the New Orleans Hornets, which relies heavily on that long-range shot, it’s devastating to the opposition when the shot is going in and harmful to the Hornets when the shot isn’t falling.

The latter was the case Friday, at Staples Center. Until the fourth quarter.

James Posey, who gave the Lakers fits last year as a member of the Boston Celtics, may have changed uniforms but not his effect on the Lakers.

Posey’s 3-point shooting touch in the final 12 minutes spearheaded the Hornets’ rally back from what had been a 16-point, third-quarter deficit. Posey hit all three of his 3-point tries in the fourth quarter. Rasual Butler sank the two 3-pointers he attempted.

But Lakers guard Derek Fisher made two critical plays in the final half minute of regulation to send the game into overtime. Fisher drew a charging foul on Hornets guard Chris Paul, who unwisely tried to take the ball all the way to the basket instead of pulling it back, with New Orleans holding a 98-95 lead.

On the Lakers’ ensuing possession, Fisher drilled a 3-pointer from straight away, to tie the score and a Lakers’ defensive stop sent the game into overtime.

Kobe Bryant’s 39 points and another solid night on the boards by the resurgent Lamar Odom loomed large in the Lakers’ 14th victory in the past 16 games.

The Lakers improved to 45-10 and maintained the NBA’s best record. It was the final regular-season game between the Lakers and the Hornets this year. The Lakers won three of the four meetings, including both at New Orleans Arena.

Both teams shot the ball miserably in the first half. New Orleans was 17 of 46 from the field, for 37 percent. But the Lakers struggled even more, shooting 35.6 percent, while making 16 of 45. Bryant particularly was off the mark. Even though he scored 16 points, he missed 11 of his 16 field-goal attempts.

The offense was so shoddy on both sides, that Bryant was the only player from either team to score in double figures by halftime.

It was one of those disjointed shooting performances overall for Bryant, who finished the night making 13 of 30 from the floor. However, he made all 12 of his free-throw attempts, with his final two in overtime helping to clinch the victory.

The Hornets avenged a 100-87 loss to the visiting Lakers, back on Dec. 23, at New Orleans Arena. The Hornets became only the second Western Conference team to beat the Lakers.

Previously, the Sacramento Kings were the only team outside the Eastern Conference that had been able to take the Lakers down.

But New Orleans was able to withstand Kobe Bryant’s 39-point scoring night because West poured in 40 points and Paul tallied 32 points, along with 15 assists.

“Everybody wants to talk about offense. Defense is where you win or lose games,” Bryant said.

The Lakers led 92-89, going into the fourth quarter. But the Hornets outscored them by 14 points in the final 12 minutes. Trailing 99-94, New Orleans went on a 15-0 run.

“I thought we burned a lot of energy in the third trying to catch up and stay ahead,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Bryant was able to give the Lakers a brief lead in the third quarter, when he had his hottest-shooting period of the season. Bryant made 8 of 9 field-goal attempts, including four 3-pointers. He was 6 of 7 from outside the 3-point arc overall.

The Lakers second home loss in 20 dates came with a costly tag line. Forward Lamar Odom suffered a hyper-extended right knee, with three minutes remaining in the second quarter and was lost for the remainder of the game.

The injury occurred when Odom landed awkwardly while going up for a rebound. He is scheduled to undergo a MRI exam Wednesday morning.

The Lakers sorely missed Odom because they had no one with the size and quickness to match up with West.

Odom’s injury is the second hit the Lakers’ forward corps has suffered. Luke Walton will miss at least two weeks because of an injured right foot.

With Walton out,  Jackson placed Vladi Radmanovic back in the starting lineup. Radmanovic had started the first 20 games, before being removed for Walton.

However, Radmanovic largely was ineffective. He missed six of his seven field-goal tries, including both of his 3-point attempts.

In their first match up the Lakers opponent was in a very similar situation that we would face on our Christmas day game a few days later against the Celtics. Unlike the Lakers, New Orleans failed the test miserably. Though not ousted by us from the playoffs last year, the Lakers had proven in the regular season to be the superior team. Our win on their court earlier this year magnified the sense that New Orleans did not have an answer to the Lakers game. This game was their last chance to show that they could indeed stop us-on their own court no less.

The Lakers responded with a fine effort and impressive win that must surely make even the most die hard Hornet fans and players feel a seven game series in the playoffs can only result in more frustration and disappointment for the Big Easy’s hopes of getting to the title round.

The win cemented the preseason predictions by most basketball aficionados that the Lakers will be going to the finals. The game showed that even with recent flaws in Los Angeles’s game and their problems with the Eastern teams, the West still remains in it’s stranglehold.

Of course the Hornet game was only the appetizer for the main course: the long awaited convocation with our erstwhile tormenters and current NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

In sports, unless you are in the playoffs, there are not a lot of must win games. This was one of the few exceptions. Because of the debacle of last years two regular season matchups and the way they foreshadowed the results of the finals, there was no way this team could lose another home game to Boston and realistically convince themselves they could then somehow go on to triumph over them in another seven game series.

In a game of X factors, this was a really the Lakers season. Win and rejoin the championship chase, lose and become a also ran who’s ultimate fate was already writ.

The Lakers, looking for all the world like team that knew exactly was at stake played their best game of the year and finally exorcized some of demons of last year.

Does the win mean that we can beat Boston in a seven game series? No, not necessarily. But it does mark huge paradigm shift from last year. In the two regular season games last year all that was established was that we had neither any answer for Boston’s offense, nor could we in any way effectively or consistently penetrate their defense. Going into the finals this weighed both psychologically and strategically on the Lakers and also made Boston comfortable in the knowledge that unless some strange and unreasonable turn of events happened, the Lakers had nothing new to offer that would trouble them. It was a very nice way for the Celtics to enter that series, conversely, it was the worst possible way for us to play for the championship.

Because of this win, last years formula is no longer set in stone, the previous assumptions no longer so immutable. For the first time in two years of regular season games, the Lakers looked like they actually belonged on a basketball court with Boston. They played good enough defense to actually get meaningful stops and executed their offense well enough to score not only throughout the games entirety, but also in those so important pressure minutes at the end when the issue was being decided.

This game was a very good first step in buttressing our position amoung the elite and telling Boston that last years Lakers are not this year’s team.

What would be the next step? Beating the Celtics at home. A tall order? Yes. Difficult? Of course. But did not the Celtics do just that to us last year? Once one mountain is climbed there is no where to go but the next. If the Lakers can accomplish this feat, then last years scenario is completely reversed and it is we who would have the upper hand in so many ways in a finals rematch.

Some of the interesting and hopeful signs:

Kobe seemed to be much more comfortable and effective playing Boston this year than last. This is essential since unlike the Celtics, who have three all star players to carry the load, Kobe is currently the only player of that magnitude on our side. He must be able to play effectively and inflict damage on Boston for us to compete and defeat that team. It was only one game, but very nice to see.

The addition of Drew and Ariza. While neither man had a monster game, both contributed enough in different areas to make a huge difference. If you took away all that they did, would we have won? It seems highly unlikely. By the end of the year both players should be playing even better and able to add even more to the mix if we do end up playing the Celtics (or Cleveland).

The Lakers did not fall completely apart under the Celtics offensive and defense pressure as they so easily did last year. They never got that look of confusion or defeat. Every time Boston made a run or put the pressure on the Lakers responded like a good team that had confidence in its own game and abilities.

I know there are a lot of very keen observers on here who will add much more to the list. I can’t wait to see what each of you noticed.

A couple last thoughts on the victory.

It was interesting for this fan (among many others here) who has questioned Phil not playing Drew in crunch time, watch him completely reverse course and leave him in.

I am sure Phil, if asked, will have his reasons. But I don’t think it is any coincidence that today, in the most important game of the year, in a game that for so many reasons he knew he had to win to have any thoughts of being a legitimate championship contender, he was forced to play what many of us consider his best closing lineup. It was a tacit admission from Phil that Drew is indeed a player that should be in the game when the rubber hits the road.

Phil is a successful, proud and stubborn coach, but in the end, even if it is kicking and screaming, he will be forced to abandon his current game plan and use Drew as he should be. Just like he was today.

Stopping the Celtics victory skein was nice. It seems either us our them are always trying to make NBA history. Last year they did, at our expense. Ending their bid to supplant our 33 game historic win streak does not assuage the loss from last year, but its nice to know that we are the team that stuck the pin in the Celtic victory balloon. They will hate us for it- and thats as it should be.

The Lakers ended the trip about the opposite it started.

The Lakers handed the Hornets only their eight loss of the season as they get ready to face the Celtics on Thursday.

The Lakers didn’t shoot particularly well, but got it done on defense as the Hornets were held to just 42% shooting. The Lakers also took care of the ball with only 11 turnovers. Kobe finally moved the ball in the offense as he took just 18 shots, had 4 assits, and 0 turnovers.

It had been awhile since the Lakers jumped out to a giant lead on a team and kept that lead double figures for the entire game.

Now, the bests of the night…

Top 3 Laker Performers -

1)  Pau was dominant. 20 points on 8-10 shooting including a three? 7 Boards and 3 assists.

2) Kobe was solid tonight with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

3) Trevor did a little of everything tonight. 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals in 28 minutes.

Lakers Smush of the Day (Note: STD denotes the Laker that played the poorest): Luke — you suck.

Play of the Game: Kobe’s dunk — check ESPN’s Top Play of the Day if you missed it.

What to Look For Next Game: GAME OF THE YEAR! Lakers coming off a big win and the Celtics off 19 straight. If you are going — BE LOUD. Please, for once — make some noise Laker fans!

Ticket Info: For those of you want to go, hope the economy isn’t affecting you too much since the cheapest tickets are starting at $200 each for uppers. E-Mail me at Steve@AveryTickets.com or call 213-221-7681 and mention TLN.

Go Lakers!!

The Lakers rolled through the Hornets for the second time this season at New Orleans Arena, both times using great defense to throttle Chris Paul’s engine in the first half. The Lakers held Paul to 6-of-16 shooting, although he still finished with 17 points and 10 assists in 46 minutes.

Pau Gasol seemed to be more assured after getting the big personal game in Memphis behind him — and after he helped Kobe Bryant wrap up that victory down the stretch. Gasol hit 8 of 10 shots and finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Bryant had 26 points — 12 coming from the foul line with Bryant’s friend Byron Scott bringing very physical defense against him. Former Celtic James Posey drew a technical foul at one point for pushing Bryant to the floor.

Lakers notes: Just a couple quick thoughts out of last night:

Click here to read the entire article!

Phil Jackson had a message for his team. It wasn’t pretty.

Pretty much the opposite game as last night, but the same result.

Instead of a sluggish start and a strong finish, the Lakers decided to melt down in the fourth and get saved by a miraculous Kobe three pointer.

The Lakers shot the ball poorly tonight, only 41%, but made up for it with their 11 steals. They also took care of the ball with only 9 turnovers.

A good balanced attach with Kobe and Fish scoring 20 each, and 3 others with double figures.

Now, the bests of the night…

Top 3 Laker Performers -

1) Bynum was a monster with his 14 points, 8 boards, and 4 blocks. He dominated the inside.

2) Fisher’s hot shooting kept the Lakers ahead throughout the game. 20 points on 7-11 shooting.

3) Kobe saved the game with his three late in the fourth. Despite his 5-15 performance, that shot made it all okay.

Lakers Smush of the Day (Note: STD denotes the Laker that played the poorest): While Lamar shot 1-7, he did many other positive things. I’ll give it to Vlad Rad who was cold tonight, shooting 1-6 and didn’t do much else.

Play of the Game: Kobe’s three.

What to Look for Next Game: The Lakers have another test as A.I. comes to Staples Center with the Pistons Friday night.

Ticket Info: Pistons game tickets start at $60 each for uppers. Email me at Steve@AveryTickets.com or call 818-387-8224 and mention TLN.

Go Lakers!

That was Phil Jackson’s postgame quote about a game that L.A. thoroughly dominated for about 42 minutes before allowing the Hornets to get within three points at 83-80 before Kobe Bryant made a shot so tough that, realistically, few if any other players in the league would have even attempted.

With James Posey draped to him like stink on an NFL offensive lineman, the shot clock down to one and a glass circle seemingly covering L.A.’s rim, Bryant somehow got a flat, 26-foot, fading bomb to go down that restored normalcy to a furious Hornets’ comeback.

Though out of rhythm as he largely deferred early in the contest, Bryant managed 20 points (including nine free throws), the same total reached by a very solid Derek Fisher, who canned four threes in the first half that pushed L.A. to a 51-30 lead at the break. No misprint there … L.A.’s swarming defense (and some missed open Hornets looks, to be fair) held the Hornets to only 30 points in the entire first half. New Orleans managed to pull only two points back in the third quarter before scoring more points (34) in the fourth than in that first half, but it just wasn’t enough to beat the Lakers.

Phil Jackson shortened the rotation a bit to nine players (Odom, Ariza, Farmar and Vujacic off the bench), while New Orleans showed its lack of depth by giving minutes to Mike James, Hilton Armstrong, Rasual Butler and Devin Brown. A solid defensive game plan effectively trapped CP3 all over the court before that big N.O. run, keyed in part by Andrew Bynum’s defensive presence, which produced four blocks and changed several other shots. L.A.’s now the only undefeated team in the league with Detroit coming to town on Friday.

A few numbers:

Bryant scored 20 points, highlighted by a tough 3-pointer over James Posey with just over a minute left, and the Los Angeles Lakers improved to 7-0 with a 93-86 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday night.

“I just wanted to shoot it in his face,” Bryant said of the late 3-pointer. “I knew I was due.”

The dramatic and deflating shot stemmed a frantic 17-4 Hornets run and put the Lakers ahead 86-80 with 1:08 to go.

“I knew Posey was going to sit on my arm, so I just had to back him up and try to shoot it,” Bryant explained. “I knew it was going to be a tough shot because I had Posey draped all over me, so I just needed to focus on the basket and try to put it in.”

Derek Fisher hit four 3-pointers and also finished with 20. He had 18 through the first three quarters, leading what to that point had been a dominant effort by Los Angeles, which never trailed.

The Lakers led by as much as 23 before nervously holding on against a team that is expected to be one of their chief rivals for Western Conference supremacy.

Chris Paul led New Orleans (4-3) with 30 points and 13 assists, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers appeared to have the game in hand after Andrew Bynum’s 8-foot turnaround jumper increased their lead to 79-63 with just under six minutes to go. But Paul scored 11 points and assisted on three other baskets during a stirring surge that pulled New Orleans to 83-80 on Paul’s floater off the glass with 1:33 left.

The fans were on their feet, urging on the defense, which appeared to be on the verge of getting another stop when Bryant’s difficult 3 as the shot clock wound down hit the back rim and dropped straight through.

“I’m never surprised to see him do anything,” Fisher said. “He’s one of those rare guys in the history of the game that I think can actually make the ball go in. … Mentally, he’s able to lock in on that rim and get the ball in the basket. That’s what separates him from some of the best to ever play.”

Hornets coach Byron Scott said Posey could not have defended the play much better.

“Pose was right in his face, and that is what great players do, they make big shots,” Scott said. “You have to give Kobe a lot of credit because that was a big-time shot.”

Soon after, Fisher made a key steal from David West and the Lakers never allowed the Hornets to get within one possession again.

However, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was a little annoyed that the game got that close.

“We sucked the joy out of a good victory,” he said.

Bynum and Pau Gasol each scored 14 for Los Angeles, and Trevor Ariza added 10 points. Bynum also had four blocked shots, setting the tone with a block on Hornets center Tyson Chandler on the game’s opening possession.

West had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Peja Stojakovic had 10 points but was only 3-of-13 shooting. Chandler had 10 rebounds.

“We just spotted them too many points,” West said. “We just didn’t have any rhythm offensively.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher steals the ball from New Orleans Hornets forward David West in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. The Lakers won 93-86.

The Lakers dominated most of the game, taking a 28-17 lead on Jordan Farmar’s jumper as the first quarter ended. The basket ignited a 12-2 run that gave Los Angeles a 38-19 lead on Sasha Vujacic’s jump shot.

Poor shooting prevented the Hornets from making a sustained run in the first half. Paul kept feeding Stojakovic for open perimeter attempts, but Stojakovic couldn’t get any to fall, missing his first eight shots.

Fisher’s jump shot from just inside the 3-point line capped a 6-0 Lakers run to close out the second quarter and give Los Angeles a 51-30 lead at halftime.

The Hornets showed signs of making a game of it early in the third quarter, but only briefly. Stojakovic finally found his shooting touch, hitting a pair of 3s during an 11-2 run that also included a pair of alley-oop dunks by Chandler, both set up by Paul.

Fisher’s running jumper stemmed New Orleans’s surge, then Bynum scored inside before Fisher hit a 3 and the Lakers began to pull away again, leading 69-46 after Bynum scored inside.

New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, front, and Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, from Spain, talk during a break in the action in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008.

The Lakers are now the only undefeated team in the league following Atlanta’s loss to Boston, but Jackson didn’t put too much stock in that.

“If at the end of the season it’s like this then it would mean a lot,” the coach said, grinning. “There have been a lot of teams that have gotten off to good starts and it doesn’t mean they have a great finish, but this is what we want to do and we’re doing the right thing.”

Notes

The best start to a season in Lakers franchise history is 11-0 in 1997-98. … Bryant moved within three points of Larry Bird on the NBA’s career scoring list. Bird scored 21,791 points with Boston. … Paul extended to seven games his record streak of 20-point, 10-assist games to start a season. … Fisher came in averaging 9.5 points. … Paul has had a steal in 90 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA. … The Lakers are 2-0 in the second of back-to-back games.

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