By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 28, 2006; E01

LOS ANGELES, April 27 -- Following Phil Jackson's blistering critique of the "uncoachable" Kobe Bryant in his tell-almost-all memoir, and Bryant's halfhearted response to Jackson's rehiring in a brief written statement last summer, the relationship between coach and player was expected to be an ongoing, dramatic story line for the Los Angeles Lakers. It's been just the opposite.

The two have coexisted peacefully -- at least publicly. As the season has played out -- and now in the playoffs -- the Kobe-Phil relationship no longer appears strained and has turned into a much-ado-over-nothing story. If anything, the two have worked to the betterment of each other, with Jackson relying on Bryant's expertise with his system and extraordinary offensive gifts to lift the team back into the postseason, and Bryant allowing Jackson to guide him back to his spot among the game's elite.

Bryant and Jackson are in sync, as shown in the Lakers' first-round, best-of-seven series against the Phoenix Suns -- which is tied at 1-1 heading into Friday night's Game 3 at Staples Center. Bryant has completely bought into Jackson's strategy to involve his teammates more, slow down the pace and not get caught up in a one-on-five show against a team he averaged 42.5 points against in the regular season.

When Bryant failed to deliver one of his customary scoring outbursts during a Game 1 loss, Bryant didn't seem concerned with the criticism he received for, surprisingly, not shooting enough. "I don't listen to that. I listen the big guy. That's who I play for," Bryant said. "If he goes out there and says shoot the ball 60 times, I'm coming. I just follow his orders, follow his lead and try to play the way he wants me to play to best of my abilities."

They each had a lot to prove -- Jackson, that he could win without Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O'Neal; Bryant, that he could win without O'Neal.

After signing a three-year, $30 million contract, Jackson needed the support of his best player, and Bryant understood that he had his best seasons while playing under Jackson, who immediately restored respectability for a franchise that had sunk to its lowest depths in 30 years and missed the playoffs.

"They have both grown to respect each other," said Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who was Bryant's teammate on the Lakers' three championship teams from 2000 to 2002. "Kobe may have been more resistant to coaching the first time around and then, having gone through the experience of last year, not having Phil, not making the playoffs, not experiencing success on a level that he's accustomed to, I think he started to miss that. This time around, it's been great.

"From Phil's perspective, he's calmed down. He's more patient and more relaxed and he also has a different respect for Kobe and all that he's gone through."

In Jackson's first run with the Lakers, which resulted in three NBA championships and hurt feelings when the team eventually was broken up in 2004, Bryant was often defiant, demanding a greater role in the offense as opposed to being a facilitator to O'Neal in the structured triangle offense. This season, however, Jackson has given Bryant more freedom, turning him into an offensive mercenary and asking him to carry the offensive load until his teammates were able to play up to his level.

He has placed Bryant in the role Michael Jordan once served in the triangle, which suits Bryant just fine. As a result, Bryant averaged a career-high 35.4 points -- the highest scoring average since 1988, when Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 -- and dazzled with his 62-point, three-quarter barrage against Dallas, his historic 81-point game and four other games with at least 50 points. Now that Bryant has regained his footing and is often hailed as the game's best player, he laughs at the critics who said he couldn't even lead the Lakers into the playoffs -- let alone win a championship -- without O'Neal.

"Was I offended?" Bryant said. "Disrespected. I won three titles. Shaq didn't win those titles by himself. You know what I'm saying? I was out there doing some serious work in Game 7s and things like that and for people to write me off like that, it's like c'mon buddy. Look at my body of work. . . . A lot of people were writing me off, saying I can't do this, can't do that. I wanted to show people I'm still here."

Published reports have Steve Nash winning the league's most valuable player award, which won't be announced officially for another two weeks. Bryant said that his goal wasn't to win the award. "I look for respect from my peers. They know," Bryant said.

Red Auerbach and others often criticized Jackson for "picking his spots" and taking ready-made contending teams led by Jordan and O'Neal to nine NBA championships. After a year away from basketball, during which he traveled to Australia and New Zealand, he has found enjoyment in nurturing this group and leading it to an 11-game improvement from last season. "That's the joy of coaching for me," Jackson said.

Jackson has had occasional differences with Bryant over shot selection and his tendency to break free of Jackson's share-the-ball philosophy. But if Jackson has had any problems with Bryant, he has mostly kept them private, rarely sending his message through the media, as he did previously with both Bryant and O'Neal.

They also relate on a much more personal level. Jackson and Bryant huddled to work out the strategy against the Suns and there have been several times when Bryant has given Jackson pats or when the two crack jokes in the team huddles or practice. "We're talking, joking around on the bus. It's been a great relationship and it's made the season more enjoyable," Bryant said.

"We've kind of come over a hurdle of the despondency of last year to the optimism of this year and in doing so, he's kind of pulled [his teammates] up by the bootstraps with his scoring and ability," Jackson said. "Right now, he's really confident that his teammates can do things out on the floor and he's helping them develop their game. He's doing a real good job being a floor general on the court."

In the first two games of this series against Phoenix, Bryant has helped dispel perceptions that his dominance of the ball throughout the regular season stunted the growth of his teammates. Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Smush Parker have all emerged as forces against the Suns. Bryant often lost his cool this season, out of frustration with his teammates, but his growth as a leader can be seen when he tracks down Kwame Brown after a missed shot or fumbled pass to tell him that it's okay; or when he chased down Steve Nash after the reigning MVP got into a little exchange with reserve guard Sasha Vujacic. "Sasha's like my little brother. I'm not going to let anybody pick on my little brother," Bryant said.

Bryant later provided retaliation when he caught a pass from Lamar Odom and elevated from just outside the paint for a full-extension jam over Nash, who dropped flat on his back. "He has that swagger that gives his teammates the ability to feel that they can follow him because they know that he's going to give them production every night," Jackson said.

Bryant offered a simple explanation for why he has bought into Jackson's philosophy this season: "We've won three titles together," Bryant said. "We've been through so many wars."

Only now, they are on the same side.