Lakers pay back Celtics, but still have some organizing to do

BOSTON -- Even when the Lakers do what they're supposed to do, it can never be simple. It can never be without drama, with a little Zen mixed in.
So while the defending champions dominated with their size and used a ruthless closing stretch by Kobe Bryant to avenge a January loss to the Celtics with a 92-86 victory against Boston on Thursday night, that wasn't the end of the story. With the Lakers, it never is.
As Andrew Bynum stood at his locker afterward, fumbling in his wallet for a business card tucked neatly inside, he explained how this second Finals rematch had begun about 12 hours earlier. Instead of using his own scratchy voice to soothe them with psychological wisdom, Phil Jackson had brought in an old friend, George Mumford, to speak to his players.
"It's like mentoring, but it's more than that," said Bynum, trying to recall the visitor's exact title. "I forget what you call it."
His cell phone jingling and headphones in hand, Bynum juggled his belongings at his locker and finally pulled out the printed treasure.
"Organizational development consultant," Bynum read, solving the mystery of what the Lakers needed to finally play well against a team that's just as good as, or better than they are.
Jackson adherents will recall that he usually distributes inspirational books to his players during the longest road trip of the season, which this 10-day, seven-city journey leading up to the All-Star break is. Jackson wouldn't reveal the title or author of his book of choice, but his deployment of Mumford was a trick straight out of his Bulls dynasty past.
According to this, Mumford is from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Calif. In addition to the convoluted title Bynum mentioned, Mumford is a "sports psychology consultant" and "meditation teacher." Jackson utilized him during his last three championship seasons with the Bulls and his first three with the Lakers.
The message must've gotten through (wink-wink), for when Bryant was asked how he and Jackson have remained so patient while waiting for the kind of complete effort turned in by the Lakers on Thursday night, Bryant replied, "Zen," and rolled his eyes like only a true non-believer could. Kobe did say he might actually read the book Jackson handed out earlier in the day, since it might well be the last book on Jackson's final long road trip as Lakers coach.
"I haven't read one yet," said Bryant, who was asked if he has saved any of them. "Do I save them? For what? They're somewhere, I don't know."

Kobe and Ron-Ron aren't on the best of terms with Phil Jackson, and Artest claims the Lakers haven't always played hard. (Getty Images)

The Lakers are somewhere, too. After beating a Celtics team that was down to nine healthy players after Nate Robinson left the game with a bruised knee, L.A. is, oh, somewhere between Boston and New York as I write this.
And somewhere between motivated and unmotivated to put in the effort required to win their third consecutive title -- and not just meditate about it.
The Lakers still have issues. Derek Fisher has slowed down, Ron Artest remains artfully clueless about where to stand on the floor while his four teammates run the offense, and Steve Blake hasn't been the addition most people thought he would be. It would stand to reason that your organization is somewhat disorganized if it requires an organizational consultant. The Lakers were 1-6 against teams with better records than they have coming into Boston on Thursday.
"Two things about that," Artest said. "We weren't worried about that. Secondly, we weren't playing hard against those teams. What could we do? We weren't giving good effort mentally as a team. So I don't know what to say about that situation. It's not like we were giving 100 percent effort and were like, 'Oh, we're losing, oh my goodness, we're trying our hardest and we're losing.' "
The annual search for the Lakers' focus arrived once again at the locker of Artest, whose peaceful coexistence in Lakerland last season has come undone in troubling ways. Artest and Jackson have been at each other's throats, and there've been reports that Artest wants to be traded -- and then denials. Somehow, the Lakers' willingness to offer Artest in preliminary trade talks recently engulfed Bynum, whose name being included in Carmelo Anthony discussions turned out to be little more than a due-diligence inquiry from Denver.
But when things go cockamamie, Artest is usually the go-to guy for answers. Or at least questions, such as, "Where has an effort like this been all season?"
"I don't know," Artest said. "Situations. ... Three Finals appearances in three years. I'm rapping. Lamar [Odom] has commercials. Kobe has great sneakers. Pau's doing movie appearance. You know what's happening. I'm tweeting. It could be anything, who knows? A lot of things are going on over here. But at the end of the day, being in L.A. [there are] a lot of opportunities and a lot of things going on. But we're coming together, man, because we're doing the best that we can."
Note to self: meditation doesn't work on everybody.
But the Lakers evened the regular-season score with the Celtics, and Bryant nodded furiously at his locker when asked if he would sign up for another Finals showdown with Boston. Worlds would collide again, just as heads and fists did Thursday night.
The noggins belonged to Gasol and Odom, who crashed together violently after a tip-in by Odom in the third quarter. The fists belonged to Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal, and it's not what you think.
As Jackson stood in the hallway for his postgame talk with reporters, Shaq sauntered by and offered his massive fist for Jackson to tap. After reciprocating with his own, Jackson said, inexplicably, "Happy New Year."
A phrase they obviously teach in meditation school.