“I just tried to read the play. I got my hands on the ball, got out and got a dunk.”

 — KOBE BRYANT, on his steal of Paul Pierce in the final minutes.

* * * *

“Probably not, we’ve got to play better.”

 — BRYANT, if the Lakers’ style of play in Game Five can lead to a win in Game Six.

* * * *

“We won on the road before. We shot like crap in Beantown in the first two games.”

 — BRYANT, on whether or not the Lakers can win two straight in Boston.

* * * *

“We played hard. Not smart all the time but we played hard.”

 — PHIL JACKSON, on the Lakers effort.

* * * *

“I told them the same thing after Game Four. Just keep forcing the games. Make plays and think of your opportunities.”

 — JACKSON, on what he told his team after Game Five.

* * * *

“It was a great opportunity to rest some players because of our lead. But they came back again and made up 19 points in the next quarter. We couldn’t stop Pierce. He got hot and that got them back in the game.”

 — JACKSON, on how the Celtics erased a 19-point first half deficit.

* * * *

“Obviously we’d like to have our bench give us a better bump. Their bench is performing better than us.”

 — JACKSON, on the Lakers starters scoring 86 of their 103 points.

* * * *

“Everywhere. I thought our transition defense was awful.”

 — DOC RIVERS, on where the Celtics could improve after falling behind by 17 points in the first quarter.

* * * *

“The Lakers won the hustle battle. Tonight’s game showed how much the Celtics missed Kendrick Perkins’ defense.”

 — GREG ANTHONY, ESPN analyst, on what hurt the Celtics in Game Five.

* * * *

“Give the Lakers credit, they showed up in a must-win situation.”

 — JON BARRY, ESPN analyst, on the Lakers stepping up and winning Game Five.

* * * *

“It was a breakout basket, he got clear.”

 — JACKSON, on Bryant’s steal.

* * * *

“I thought he could attack them. He’s got speed and quickness and he’s able to break them down on defense. We used him more because Sasha [Vujacic]didn’t have his game going.”

 — JACKSON, on the impact of Jordan Farmar.

* * * *

“He showed he could rebound. He showed he’s resilient.”

 — JACKSON, on Lamar Odom..

* * * *

“Don’t blame Chris Mihm. I just gave him an opportunity. We wanted to try some new faces. We won’t go with that strategy again.”

 — JACKSON, on Mihm seeing his first minutes of the playoffs.

* * * *

“We played harder than the Celtics. We scrapped it out. We had more possessions and made more shots.”

 — JACKSON, on how the Lakers survived.

* * * *

“It’s a tough matchup and he’s strong. He uses step-throughs and gets in the paint. He’s a playmaker.”

 — JACKSON, on why it’s so hard to defend Pierce.

* * * *

The travails of Lamar Odom will not end in Los Angeles. If Lakers fans and the press in the area aren’t critiquing Kobe Bryant, their focus usually turns to Odom.

After dominating the first half of Game Five, Odom largely disappeared when the Celtics were rallying for their critical win. Coach Phil Jackson didn’t help the cause last night when he was asked what he’ll figure out quicker, the title of his next book or Odom’s inconsistency.

“No to both questions,” Jackson smiled.

— KEVIN McNAMARA

* * * *