Orlando Couldn't Stop Bryant, But Fatigue Did

ORLANDO, June 10 -- He hit shots from all over the floor, layups, turnaround jumpers, three-pointers and even converted a four-point play during one of his most electrifying quarters this postseason, let alone in these NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant couldn't be stopped, as he abused rookie Courtney Lee, and later Mickael Pietrus, scorching the tandem for 17 points in the first period of Game 3.

Problem was, Bryant used up so much energy during the barrage -- which was intended to knock out the Orlando Magic -- that he wore himself out for the rest of the game. Bryant missed 12 of his final 16 shots from the floor and scored 14 points over the final three quarters.

Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson noticed Bryant wearing down and tried to save him for a final, fourth-quarter blitz. Bryant, however, was unable to deliver, as he has so many times in his career. And, in the final minute, he missed a critical free throw and had a costly turnover, when Magic center Dwight Howard batted away the ball as Bryant attempted to drive past Howard and Pietrus.

"It was disappointing," Bryant said of his poor finish in the Lakers' 108-104 loss on Tuesday. "There was a couple of mistakes that I made that I wouldn't mind getting back. That being said, you've got to pick your head up, put one foot in front of the other and keep moving."

As the Lakers prepare for Game 4 Thursday night at Amway Arena, Bryant again has to strike the balance between being overly aggressive, as he was when he scored 40 points in Game 1, or letting his teammates do some of the heavy lifting, as he did in Game 2, when Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom carried the team to victory.

"My responsibility on this team, I have to do a little bit more, I've got to score and facilitate," said Bryant, who is averaging team highs in points (33.3), assists (8) and minutes (42.3) in the Finals. "I can't just go off. I've got to get my guys involved sometimes. Sometimes you're sacrificing your rhythm to try to rebuild it. I couldn't regenerate it."

The Lakers have yet to lose back-to-back games this postseason, going 6-0 after playoff defeats. But Bryant said fatigue should not be a concern for the Lakers.

"I'm aware of bouncing back after a tough loss. Hopefully, we can do it again," Bryant said. "As far as me hitting the wall, so what if I did? I didn't, but so what if I did?"

What would it mean if he did hit the wall? "It means nothing," Bryant said. "Because I'll run straight through it."