Michael Ventre

LOS ANGELES - Maybe it was the comeback, which might have drained him. It could have been the weeks of speculation about his future with the Lakers and the torrent of questions about his feelings toward the organization. There is a chance the hot water ran out in the showers.

Whatever the reason, Kobe Bryant arrived at his locker fully dressed and a good hour or so after Tuesday night’s 95-93 loss to the Houston Rockets at Staples Center, the season opener for both clubs. His face was a mask of resignation. He looked like a man who might have a long, long season ahead of him.

“Business can sometimes cloud things if you let it,” said Bryant, who led all scorers with 45 points. “I won’t let it.”

The Lakers entered this season on disaster alert. Bryant had demanded a trade, owner Jerry Buss indicated he would listen to offers, and now Kobe Watch 2007 is colored in a lovely Homeland Security red. Each practice, each game, each exit from his car, each stroll out of the lockerroom to meet wife Vanessa will be scrutinized for clues as to which team he’s headed to, and for whom.

But a funny thing happened at Staples Tuesday. The Lakers, undermanned while Lamar Odom (shoulder) and Vladimir Radmanovic (illness) were inactives, fought back in the final minute and a half of a game that the Rockets seemingly had wrapped up.

The Lakers were down by 12 with 1:36 left. When Derek Fisher hit a 20-foot jumper with :13.9 left, the game was tied. The swing was as dramatic as a Kobe radio tirade. Only when Houston’s Shane Battier hit an improbable three with :02.5 left, and the Lakers failed to perform a miracle in reply, did the Los Angeles rally expire.

It was not the kind of furious refusal to die that used to reflect Kobe Bryant’s spirit, before it became infected by vitriol. It was the type of effort that Bryant used to inspire in his mates before he spoke up about bringing in another star, thereby tossing certain key individuals under the proverbial people-mover.

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It wasn’t perfect by any means. But it was something to build on as the Lakers prepare for their next challenge, a date in Phoenix with the Suns — assuming Bryant is still in a L.A. uniform by then.

“We did some really good things,” Bryant said, “especially on defense. We created a lot of turnovers. The most important thing is that we played hard. That will be the trademark of our season, playing hard every night.”

It seemed strange, Bryant leaning against his locker, what looked to be the largest sapphire in captivity hanging from his left earlobe, talking hopefully about the Lakers’ future. This is the same guy who only a few short weeks ago called owner Jerry Buss an “idiot.” And the same one who was called out by coach Phil Jackson last weekend for not giving a maximum effort in practice.

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Jackson did not remember the game with the same rosy glow as Bryant. He is like the college professor who will never give an “A,” even for effort.

“I told the team that we saw the best and worst of what we are,” Jackson said after the game. “There were some nice moments out there and comedy-of-error moments tonight in the third quarter.”

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