LAKERS NOTEBOOK: BOBCATS `HELL' OF A CHALLENGE.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO --The Charlotte Bobcats have been in business for all of 2 1/2 seasons, compiling a 58-147 record in that time, while barely meeting the NBA's minimum team salary of $39.85 million this season.

Yet it's the Bobcats who have given the Lakers ``hell'' in the words of Kobe Bryant. They took down the Lakers 133-124 in triple-overtime at home on Dec. 29 and will be at Staples Center tonight for the rematch.

It will be a last stand of sorts for the Lakers, who have dropped more games to doormat teams than they care to remember. The past month has seen losses to Charlotte, Memphis and New Orleans, teams with a combined record of 41-84.

``Our thing all year is we know we can play with the best teams,'' Luke Walton said. ``But to be one of the best teams, we've got to beat these sub-.500 teams. We're aware of that and we've been talking about it, so we've got to start making it happen now.''

Lakers coach Phil Jackson borrowed from one of his players in describing the string of recent losses as ``haunting'' the team.

``For us, it's just going out there and playing hard all the time -- all the time --and understanding that we're trying to play for something bigger,'' Bryant said. ``If we can keep that in our mind's eye, we should be OK.''

The Bobcats now have beaten the Lakers twice in Charlotte and nearly won last season at Staples Center. Brevin Knight missed two free throws with 11seconds remaining and the Lakers escaped with a 99-98 victory.

Star gazing: For the ninth time, Bryant has been selected to the All-Star Game. He received the third-most votes of any player (behind LeBron James and Yao Ming) and will start for the Western Conference in the Feb. 18 game in Las Vegas.

Big bucks: The Lakers remain the second most valued franchise in the NBA after the New York Knicks, according to Forbes magazine's annual report released Thursday. Forbes estimated the Lakers' value at $568 million, up from $529 million last season.

By returning to the playoffs, the Lakers' revenues were estimated at $167 million, only $3 million shy of the estimated revenue from the 2003-04 season before the Shaquille O'Neal trade.

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LAKERS vs. CHARLOTTE

- Ross Siler