Tim Duncan had a strong game with 30 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, but because the Lakers were able to silence his mates — Manu Ginobili finished with 10 points and was 3 of 13 from the floor — they were able to live with his onslaught.

It should be noted the Spurs had an awful time getting here. Their plane leaving New Orleans after Game 7 of the previous series had mechanical problems, and they had to sleep on the aircraft before finally getting in on Tuesday morning. If the airline industry, already the source of ire for many people lately, is partly responsible for the way the Spurs played in the second half Wednesday, then there needs to be a congressional investigation.

"I think fatigue was probably a factor for them," Jackson said.

But the Spurs would have none of that excuse talk. "It had nothing to do with the fatigue of the last two days," Popovich said.

Kobe was the most important factor coming into the series, and he rose to the occasion in MVP fashion. "I probably tried to let the game come to me too much (in the first half)," he said. "I think we had a little bit of jitters."

Bryant was 6 for 9 from the floor in the fourth quarter, and he played every second of it. He led everybody in minutes with a few ticks over 43.

It’s only one game, mind you. Impressions change quickly in the NBA playoffs. Remember, the New Orleans Hornets were thought to be too young, too athletic and too talented to be overcome by the elderly Spurs. And we saw what happened there.

All the Spurs have to do is win Game 2 on Friday — after a couple of nights of sleep in some downy soft hotel beds — and they will have accomplished their objective of snatching back the home-court advantage.

But no matter the athletes, the mind can sometimes play tricks. The Spurs will have to live with, and hear about incessantly, the fact they blew a 20-point lead and could be up 1-0. Wednesday night’s game marked the first time the Lakers have come back from a deficit of 20 or more points in a playoff game since May 26, 2002 against Sacramento, when L.A. triumphed, 100-99, on a last-second 3-pointer by Robert Horry — who is now a Spur.

"That’s what hurts so much, to be able to go up like that and let that dissipate," Popovich said. "That will hang in there for a while, so it will take some good mental toughness to let that go, I think, and do what we have to do to come back and focus on the task at hand.

"So we’ll make sure we get that done."

Nothing is certain anymore in these NBA playoffs, such as the issue of which team will play like a champion.

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