Kobe Bryant carries Lakers to NBA Finals

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

Among Kobe Bryant’s myriad of inimitable talents is what’s known to opposing coaches simply as the “rise-up.”

That’s when Bryant has a defender blanketing him on the perimeter, obstructing his vision and physically preventing him from driving — yet Kobe simply leaps high enough and leans far enough forward or backward to release a perfect jumper anyway.

Bryant rose up against Grant Hill in the final minute of the Los Angeles Lakers’ conference-clinching victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, putting his stamp on a 37-point performance that sent the Lakers into the NBA finals with a chance for revenge on the Boston Celtics.

Even with Hill right in his face, Bryant leaped up and away from the veteran forward and drilled a clinching 23-footer. The basket essentially clinched the Lakers’ victory, and Bryant punctuated it with a pat on Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry’s derriere.

“I said, ‘Good defense,’ to Grant,” Gentry recalled with a rueful smile. “[Bryant] said, ‘Not quite good enough.’ ... I thought Grant was going to block the shot. That was a fallaway 3-pointer with a hand in your face, off balance. You know, that’s who he is.”

Bryant is enjoying arguably the most impressive playoff run of his career. He has scored 30 points in 10 of the Lakers’ last 11 games — and moreover, he has willed a team with an injured center, two more inconsistent starters and little bench help beyond Lamar Odom into its third straight NBA finals, starting Thursday night at Staples Center.