Kobe's buzzer-beater lifts evolving Lakers over Suns

                    

	Kobe Bryant played hero on Sunday, but it's been a team effort for the Lakers during their series against the Suns. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
	MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Arash. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

LOS ANGELES -- Not long after Kobe Bryant made his buzzer-beating 17-footer to give the Lakers an improbable 99-98 comeback victory in overtime against the Suns, the television in the Lakers' locker room was showing highlights of the play. Laron Profit, upon seeing Bryant's shot a couple of times, said, "I can't remember how many times I've seen you take that shot in the summer and in practice."

Always the perfectionist, Bryant often makes his teammates marvel at the way he will take hundreds of shots from different locations on the court, breaking up the floor like pieces of a puzzle, knowing exactly what shots he can make at each location.

So while the final six seconds of Game 4 may have seemed helter-skelter to everyone else, as soon as Bryant controlled the jump ball between Steve Nash and Luke Walton at center court, the ending, or at least his shot attempt, had already been orchestrated in Bryant's mind.

"I knew Luke was going to control the tip," Bryant said. "I was just going through my calculations, looking at the clock and just playing the moment over in my head before I got the ball, thinking about how much time I would have to operate. Once I got the ball, I just took my time and got the look I wanted. I have taken that shot over and over and over again. It felt routine to me. The layup [to send the game into overtime] was tougher than the shot, actually."

As purple and gold streamers came flying down from the Staples Center's rafters after the game, and with Randy Newman's I Love L.A. blasting in the background, Bryant, who had just been mobbed by his teammates at center court, yelled out to the crowd. He raised his hands and pulled the top of his white jersey to the right side to show the fans his heart, then cupped his ear and asked them to get louder as they chanted, "M-V-P."

It was the most emotion Bryant had shown on the court since the Lakers' championship years. While he wouldn't go so far as to say it was better than winning a title, considering where the team was last year and was expected to be this year, it was almost as satisfying. "In the past, people expected us to win these games, so hitting that shot was almost like a relief," Bryant said.

"The difference today is no one expects us to do anything against this team or be in the playoffs. It was the most fun shot I've ever hit because it's us -- us as a unit enjoying this moment."

Even though Bryant hasn't necessarily been the focal point in this series, often deferring to guys like Lamar Odom, Walton, Smush Parker and Kwame Brown, he says that's the way he wants to play and the way he would have liked to have played all season if he could have. "I love it. It's more fun. It's more exciting to see Lamar put us on his back and carry us," he said. "It's more exciting to see the smiles on their faces and how much they're enjoying the game. The game is so much more fun playing this way. It's so enjoyable and so much more exciting and we're just having a blast right now."