So there apparently was Bryant telling them, and others, so during Game 2 in Boston. We know this because Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, generally regarded as baseball's most unlikable fella, was sitting near the Lakers' bench in Game 2 and wrote in his blog — geez, does everyone have one? — that Bryant yelled at his teammates.

'From the first tip until about 4 minutes left in the game I saw and heard this guy bitch at his teammates," wrote Schilling. "Every TO he came to the bench pissed, and a few of them he went to other guys and yelled about something they weren’t doing, or something they did wrong. No dialog about “hey let’s go, let’s get after it” or whatever. He spent the better part of 3.5 quarters pissed off and ranting at the non-execution or lack of, of his team. Then when they made what almost was a historic run in the 4th, during a TO, he got down on the floor and basically said ‘Let’s (expletive) go, right now, right here” or something to that affect."

Forget that Schilling is so popular in baseball that he'd been accused of faking his bleeding in his socks in the 2004 World Series.

I recall Bird calling out his teammates when the real Lakers and Celtics played and Kevin McHale decking Kurt Rambis. I recall Jordan yelling at Jackson to get certain players off the court. It's the competitive zeal of the truly great ones, and there's nothing wrong with it. It was time Bryant tried to wake someone up, and when he really couldn't it was left to him.

Jackson opened the game with a bit of a switch to play Bryant on Rajon Rondo, whom the Lakers generally don't defend, seemingly to give Bryant some rest on defense because Jackson knew all he really could count on was Bryant. Jackson said it was more to get a cross match so Rondo would defend Bryant. But Jackson knows what's coming. If the Lakers are to get this series, they'll need Bryant scoring 35 to 45 every game. Can he do it for four more in the next week?

Slide show   NBA Finals Images from historic matchup of Lakers, Celtics more photos

Jackson, whose Lakers teams had lost their last five NBA Finals games before Tuesday — two to the Celtics this year and three against the Pistons in 2004 — hasn't really been through this before. He usually has the best team in the Finals, and in 2004 he seemed to and didn't win. This Lakers team can't seem to solve the Celtics' defense and collapsing on Bryant. Bryant willed himself past it in Game 3 to spit out a win in a game they were supposed to dominate coming back home.

Pierce and Garnett aren't likely to be eight-for-35 again.

Someone needs to wake up the Lakers other starters, who Tuesday combined for 22 points on seven of 28 shooting. Bryant's been trying. He better get louder.