"He answered the challenge and played like one of the best players in the world," said Kobe Bryant.

In fact, Gasol is among of the best weak side big men in the world. He might be a 7-footer, but he's not a center, true or otherwise. That job belongs to Andrew Bynum. And more than anything, it's the resurgent Bynum that should give the "bi-polar" Lakers — Kobe's term, not mine — confidence against their next opponent, the well-rested Denver Nuggets.

The 21-year-old Bynum scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, with six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Bigger than those numbers, however, was the way he played defense. He made the correct rotations and was especially, and justifiably, proud that "I cut off the baseline." In other words, he didn't give his coach any reason to sit him.

"It's definitely easier to play when you play more," said Bynum.

I wonder if there's a more Zen way of saying that.

Maybe something like: I like it when the coach doesn't jerk me around.

After looking at the final stat sheet, Phil Jackson said of Bynum: "We'd like him to have more touches than he had." The coach issued an addendum, of course. "The reality is he's a cleanup guy."

Translation: Bynum's main concerns are the boards and the basket, especially as it pertains to impeding the path of those who are driving to it.

"The thing we want him to grasp is how active his defense has to be to for him to become the player we want him to be, the player who can change who we are defensively," said Jackson.

I get it, though I'm not sure Bynum always does. Even after a game like this, you talk to him and he gives you the impression of a kid who's still trying to memorize the right answers.

Yes, he's been injured. And yes, he's blown some assignments through the first two rounds of the playoffs. But consider the minutes he played in the first two series: 26 in Games 3-5 against Utah, 33 in Games 2-4 against Houston.

Even I've got better things to do than make excuses for Bynum. But he's the only real center Jackson has, and when he's playing well — which is to say, confidently — Jackson's team is close to unbeatable. Again, he's 21. He doesn't need too much Zen. If you ask me, he needs a pat on the ass.

So, what to make of these Lakers? After the Rockets took them to seven games — four of them without Yao Ming — the level of their talent remains beyond reproach. But their intensity and desire are suspect. This series should've been over in five games. On at least two occasions — Games 4 and 6 — the Lakers just didn't bother playing hard.

"That could possibly be on our coaching staff," said Jackson, to his credit.

The Nuggets had to like what they saw — until Sunday. Denver is the second-best team in the West. But they're a better team now than they were a few weeks ago, and a lot better than the one L.A. beat so regularly during the regular season. They've shown a lot in beating Dallas and New Orleans so handily. And unlike the remnants of this Houston team, they have a bigger, better front line. Their big men are especially active on defense with guys like Chris Andersen and Kenyon Martin.

This won't be an easy series for the Lakers. But if Bynum plays as he is capable of playing — a challenge for the coach as well as the player — the outcome shouldn't be in doubt.

I don't know if the Lakers have any heart. But they still have more talent. The only thing the Nuggets have more than the Lakers is tattoos.