Bryant is, as always, the difference maker

Two games in San Antonio, one free throw for one of the most consistently fouled men in the NBA, and the fiery Bryant showed none of the temper that could have hurt his team or his game.

No comment on no fouls?

"Not without getting fined, no," Bryant said.

Your philosophy here?

"Just let it go, nothing you can do about it," Bryant said. "You try to shoot through it and see if you can't make a couple of them."

The league has obviously decided that Bryant shot too many free throws in the previous two series, and they were going to officiate him differently from others, perhaps ignoring the first bump, and only whistling a complete mauling.

"It is impossible to take 29 shots and not be fouled, but tonight was one of those exceptions, I guess," Jackson said.

It's impossible not to notice that, on nights like Tuesday, it appears Bryant just will not let them lose.

"We responded every time that they came in and tied the ballgame," Jackson said. "Most of it was Kobe responding to it."

In the second quarter, the Spurs fought back from an early double-digit deficit to tie the score, turning the fans at the AT&T Center into a screaming and stomping mob.

Bryant calmly dribbled down, sank a jumper, and the Lakers led by six points at halftime.

In the late minutes of the third quarter, the Spurs tied the score again amid more noise and music and wildness.

Bryant calmly dribbled into double coverage and found Pau Gasol for a layup, then about 30 seconds later picked up a long rebound and turned it into a reverse fastbreak dunk.

And when the Spurs pulled back within one point in the final 1 minute 32 seconds of the quarter?

Another Bryant dunk, this time after driving the baseline around three Spurs.

"There's something Kobe has that even some of the great ones don't have" Odom said. "It's just like he can will the ball into the basket."

Remember earlier in these playoffs when an amazed Odom called him "Kobe-Wan Kenobi"?

On Tuesday night, he called him that again, it was that kind of game.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter, Bryant re-entered the game with 10 minutes remaining and the Lakers ahead by only two points.

He hit a quick jump shot to make a four-point lead, then hit another jump shot to return the lead to four points.

"I knew I had to get something going and knock down a couple of shots, give us a little breathing room, to give us a little more confidence," Bryant said.

Confidence found. Victory discovered. The only thing unfair about it was that the Lakers had Kobe Bryant, and the Spurs did not.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.