The plot contorted before the Lakers boarded their charter flight to Utah, somewhere between Andrew Bynum not fully participating in practice because of knee soreness and the Lakers drawing in their last breaths of Los Angeles air for a while.
This is where they ran into trouble last season against Utah, taking a 2-0 series lead before the Jazz batted them away twice in Salt Lake City, a tough place to play even when all the Lakers are healthy.
Bynum sat out most of Wednesday's practice because of knee discomfort, a precautionary move more than anything but a move nonetheless involving Bynum's right knee, the same one that sidelined him for 32 games because of a torn medial collateral ligament.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson indicated the soreness might be related to the bulky brace Bynum had worn since returning six games ago.
"I don't think it's anything that the training staff thought was structural," Jackson said. "Some of it's due to [the] brace, wearing the brace and the inhibiting of the brace of the motions. I think it's all capable of working out, but he did not work much on the court [Wednesday] at all."
Bynum did not speak to reporters after practice, but a team spokesman said Bynum would "of course" play tonight in Game 3 of the best-of-seven opening-round series. The Lakers have a two-game lead despite Bynum's averages of 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.
He started off well in Game 2, making his first five shots on the way to 10 first-quarter points. He never scored the rest of the way, missing his last six shots.
"He ran out of gas, really, and they double-teamed him," Jackson said. "He's going to have some lapses in energy. We had to talk a little bit about his pregame work too because I think he's working a little bit too hard to get ready for the game and I think it takes something out of him during the game."
Meanwhile, the Lakers can only hope the Jazz mascot runs out of gas before revving his motorcycle in front of their bench before the game, a gesture that has irritated Jackson many times over the years.
There will be plenty of noise tonight at EnergySolutions Arena, where Utah enjoys one of the league's most intense crowds, the fans seeming to adhere tightly to the team's season-long slogan of "Life Off, Game On."
The Lakers took turns saluting Utah's home-court edge after Wednesday's practice.
