CLEVELAND - At the end of the last game on their longest trip since 1987, the Lakers had no answers.

And considering that Lakers coach Phil Jackson had framed this last game as a character test, the lack of answers meant a failing grade in the rather meaningful areas of grit and teamwork.

The Lakers lost, 99-90, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday to finish the trip with a 3-5 record. It ended with Jackson and Kobe Bryant lamenting that no one else had the nerve to reach out toward Bryant when Bryant had a hot hand and was looking to share it with someone.

Lamar Odom is supposed to the lead tag-team partner, but he scored just 11 points - and five of those came after the Lakers were already basically pinned, down by six points with 1:10 to play.

"According to Kobe, nobody else wanted to step up in that sequence," Jackson said. "That was one of the things we were looking for - for somebody else to get going. ... Lamar looked like he wasn't stepping into the vacuum."

The Lakers had high hopes for this trip primarily because Odom was back from his sprained knee. Proud that they pocketed 13 victories in 22 decisions after Odom got hurt, the Lakers expected to take off against the Eastern Conference's lighter fare with Odom back.

Instead, the Lakers are 3-7 since Odom's return. As much as Luke Walton smoothes the offense and Kwame Brown buttresses the defense - anticipation that both would return from ankle sprains during this trip went unfulfilled - no one can do all the things that Odom can.

Of all those things, Odom did very few of them except rebound and play some individual defense on this trip. During this trip-ending three-game skid, Odom averaged 13.3 points on 40.5 percent shooting, with 1.6 assists.

In Odom's eyes, there would be little complaint about the imbalance in his offensive decision-making and his shooting if the Lakers were playing more consistent team defense.

"It's funny that on a team where everybody is so cool off the court, we don't talk at all (on defense)," Odom said.

It is true enough that the Lakers might've won after Bryant's 14 consecutive Lakers points to start the fourth quarter if Cleveland hadn't followed up a 12-point third quarter with a 35-point fourth. It happened even though Cleveland star Lebron James (5-of-16 shooting, 11 points) was off his game the whole way.

"Our defense pretty much caved," Bryant said.

Overall, though, the Lakers' defense has been better with Odom. The offense has topped 100 points only twice - in easy victories over Boston and Washington. The Lakers' only other victory since Odom's return featured Bryant's torrid fourth quarter in Atlanta, followed by Smush Parker and Maurice Evans stepping into the "vacuum" Jackson likes to cite.

The Lakers shot 39.7 percent from the field in Cleveland, and in the seven losses since Odom's return, they've failed to top 43.5 percent every time. For context, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets' 43.5 percent shooting for the season is the worst in the NBA.

Bryant shot 12 of 24 from the field in a 36-point game Sunday, but was subdued in the final minutes by Cleveland's double teams. Odom shot 5 of 13 from the field, Smush Parker 3 of 10 and Evans 1 of 9.

"We've got to live with other guys beating us," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said with regard to defending Bryant.

And so ended a trip that saw the Lakers blow winnable games in Indiana, Toronto and Cleveland. The only blowout was in Detroit, and the trip began with a loss in New York while Bryant sat because of NBA suspension.

So no Bryant at the start of a disappointing trip - and nobody but Bryant at the finish of it.

"The only positive thing," Bryant said, "is it's over."

STATUS QUO

Despite contemplating benching Vladimir Radmanovic from tipoff and Odom from the start of the second quarter, Jackson decided to stick with his usual rotation.

Radmanovic felt the heat (Jackson said before the game: "He's got to really have a good game") and hit his first four shots, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and no turnovers in 27 minutes.

"He had a good game, finally, and then we lose anyway," Evans said of Radmanovic. "It's frustrating."

Cleveland scored the first six points of the second quarter with Odom again anchoring Jackson's second unit.

NOTES

Jackson recalled the "difficulty I had" with hip pain when the Lakers were last in Cleveland on March 19, 2006. But Jackson said he "held up well" health-wise on this 14-day trip. Jackson had previously said it would be a gauge for him regarding his long-term coaching future. ... The Lakers are the only Western Conference team with a winning record (30-22), but a losing road record (11-16). ...

After their home-heavy schedule early in the season, the Lakers have now played two more road games. Two home games against New York and Cleveland this week before the All-Star break will even it out.

 

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