AND AWAY THEY GO LAKERS EMBARK ON LONGEST ROAD TRIP IN TEAM HISTORY.

Byline: Elliott Teaford

Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - The Lakers packed their bags -- several extra ones, in fact -- and said farewell to their friends and family Wednesday morning.

Then they boarded an airplane, which took them to Auburn Hills, Mich., and the start of a whirlwind journey to play the Detroit Pistons, the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards, the New Jersey Nets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat, the Charlotte Bobcats and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That's nine consecutive road games if you're scoring at home.

Nine games means nine different hotel rooms in nine different cities. It also means 10 flights (counting the one home) covering thousands of miles over 14 days.

The Lakers (28-15) embarked on their longest trip since the NBA's 82-game schedule was adopted for the 1976-77 season. It's also the longest trip in the league this season. (The San Antonio Spurs also play nine consecutive games away from home, but return for a few days of practice between trips.)

"It's a great opportunity," a grim-faced Kobe Bryant said the other day. "This road trip comes at a good time. It gives us a chance to get away and kind of hunker down together and get ready to win some ballgames in tough environments."

Many of the Lakers left with faint smiles and good-natured chuckles about hitting the road. They hoped the road doesn't hit them back.

Not much of anything has gone the Lakers' way recently.

Above all else, they have been battered and bruised.

Andrew Bynum is out because of a kneecap injury.

Trevor Ariza has a broken foot.

Luke Walton has a hip pointer.

Lamar Odom had been suffering from what appeared to be a crisis of confidence before he broke out of it with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Lakers' going-away victory Tuesday against the New York Knicks at Staples Center.

In fact, all the Lakers seemed to benefit from a feel-good win over the Knicks that ended their three-game losing streak.

Confidence took the place of indecision, particularly during an electric fourth quarter in which the Lakers rallied from a nine-point deficit to win by 120-109.

What's more, there was an unmistakable sense of togetherness as the Lakers departed Staples Center late Tuesday. Several players suggested this was a terrific chance for them to bond, something they were ready to embrace.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said with a broad smile. "Over the course of two weeks, I think we'll spend quite a bit of time together. Hopefully, it will show on the court.

"I think there will be a lot of postgame dinners and, obviously, a lot of plane rides and bus rides where we'll get opportunities to talk and really focus on what happened in the game that night.

"We've had some of our best player-to-player talks in the back of the bus after games, where we're sharing thoughts about what we want to do the next night. If we lost a game, things we could have done differently. If we won a game, things we want to continue to do. So we'll get quite a bit of time to do that on this trip."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson admitted to a reporter several weeks ago that he was thinking a good deal about this trip. He hadn't said much about it during conversations with his players, preferring to adopt the one- game-at-a-time mantra.

In the past, he had carved up the season into four-or five-game segments, but decided this season that might be too much for the Lakers. He wanted them to focus on the task at hand heading into each game.

Jackson had no choice but to look ahead for this trek, however.

"As a coach, you have to plan," Jackson said. "What's the trip going to consist of? Are you taking a break on this day? How are you going to run around for the Super Bowl? What's practice going to be like on this day over here? You've got to plot how the travel goes. Then you have the All-Star break (after the game) at Minneapolis.

"So there are a lot of things that go into a trip."

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) Shaquille O'Neal could be back for the Heat when the Lakers visit Miami on Feb. 8.

Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

(2) no caption (Kobe Bryant)

(3 -- color) no caption (Staples Center)

Box/Map:

MILES AND MILES

Team-by-team look at the Lakers nine-game road trip. With opponents records and total miles along the way.

Staff illustration