TIME NOT ON HIS SIDE L.A. WONDERS IF KOBE WILL ARRIVE FOR GAME 5.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - While the Lakers count down the hours to their first critical playoff test today, their most gifted player will be sitting in a Colorado court room. This would be considered uncomfortable in most places, but here, routine.

The inescapable reality of Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case was assimilated into the franchise culture months ago, the awkwardness dwindling over time. So even as Bryant races from Eagle to Los Angeles this evening, hoping to help his team close out the Houston Rockets, the sense among the Lakers is they'll be fine - with or without him.

They have run this scenario twice already since December, and there is little tension to negotiate anymore. They'll wait for the call that says Bryant is on his way, keep one eye on the nonstop TV coverage.

``It's hard to avoid,'' Devean George said Tuesday, ``but we're trying not to put too much energy into it. We're just trying to let the day go by and when he gets here, we'll just move on.''

The Lakers practiced for two days without Bryant this week, will hold a shootaround without him this morning and will keep one eye on the northeast tunnel at Staples Center this evening.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. Although Laker officials had hoped today's hearing might last only half a day, they now expect Bryant to be in court until 5 p.m. PDT.

Kareem Rush practiced with the first unit Monday and Tuesday and will be the presumed starter.

``I told the players today we're going to have to go ahead assuming that he's not going to be here,'' coach Phil Jackson said, ``and whatever he does give us, we're gonna take for granted as a blessing.''

The Lakers hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The San Antonio Spurs are resting and waiting for the victor, which is all the incentive the Lakers need for finishing off the young Rockets.

Bryant has been indispensable, if erratic in the series.

His 36 points in Game 2 fueled the only rout of the series, his late 3-point play helped secure an overtime win in Game 4, and he is averaging a team-high 22.8 points.

But he is shooting .338 from the field, and three days spent in court can't do much for his ill shooting stroke, to say nothing of his mood or mind-set.

``It's like anything else, you take a routine away from somebody, you're not quite in sync with everybody on your team,'' Jackson said. ``But Kobe's different than he was last year at this time. He's not the same player that he was last year at this particular time, where his shot is going. His game is affected by obviously all that is going on.''

Jackson said injuries have played as much of a role in Bryant's struggles as the mental drain of his legal drama. He has played this season with a sprained right shoulder and a badly sliced index finger, which remains taped up, three months after it was injured.

The poor shooting percentage might have as much to do with Bryant's shot selection as anything, but that's a discussion Jackson wouldn't engage Tuesday.

``I wouldn't want to venture a guess on that,'' he said.

The Lakers could use another 30-point night from Karl Malone but won't count on it, figuring the Rockets might pay more attention to him after Sunday's offensive display. They'll hope for the best from Shaquille O'Neal's creaky right knee, which caused him to sit out the past two days. And they'll be pleased if George, reinserted as the starting small forward, can keep hitting the open shots.

``We know what we have to do,'' O'Neal said. ``We just can't get cute, try to put them away with the long ball. We've just got to play good, smart basketball.''

In Shaq parlance, that usually means to get him the ball. He's averaging just 17.3 points and shooting .528 in the series. His call for less 3-point shooting is understandable. The starting backcourt of Bryant and Gary Payton has gone 6 for 26 (.231) in the series.

Bryant has made the court-to-court transition twice this season, and the Lakers won both games. Bryant delivered a buzzer-beater to beat Denver on Dec. 19 and 36 points in a March 24 victory over Sacramento.

``If you look at it, what he's done when he came back the other couple times, he saved us,'' George said. ``So I think he'll be able to shift his focus and focus on what he has to do once he gets here.''

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kobe Bryant has twice returned to play for the Lakers after having to spend the day in Eagle, Colo., for pretrial hearings.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) With Kobe Bryant expected to be in court all day today, the Lakers will face the Rockets assuming he will miss the game.

Ed Andrieski/Associated Press

(3) Kobe Bryant's game has been ``affected by obviously all that is going on,'' Phil Jackson said.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box:

COURT TO COURT