He shrugged when told Artest declared Portland's Brandon Roy - and not Bryant - the toughest guy he'd ever guarded. He remained tightlipped when asked about Artest constantly yammering in his ear whenever they play. He even insisted he found no extra motivation in a recent New York Times piece championing Battier as the defender most capable of rendering Bryant ineffective.

"They have good individual defensive players," Bryant finally acknowledged. "They're making teams take low-percentage shots once they go to the basket."

The ability of Artest and Battier to contain Bryant is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Lakers' upcoming second-round series. The sturdy Artest pesters opposing players with his physicality and relentless ball-hawking, while the cerebral Battier makes up for athletic limitations with textbook footwork and defensive positioning.

While the two have helped the Rockets limit opponents to 94 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting, Bryant has gotten the best of their four matchups this season. He scored 28.3 points per game to lead the Lakers to a sweep, the most memorable a 37-point barrage against Artest in March, after which he bragged, "I kicked his (butt) tonight."

"Ron is great at working off intimidation," said Lakers forward Lamar Odom, a fellow native of Queens, N.Y., who played AAU ball with Artest as a teen.

"That's why he's probably the best perimeter one-on-one defensive player in the NBA. I think they're playing a tit-for-tat game, but Kobe is the best."

The key to Houston's formidable defense is what Lakers assistant Jim Cleamons calls a "foot-in-the-paint" mentality, meaning they'll surrender a contested jumper to keep opponents out of the lane and off the offensive glass.

While 7-foot-6 Yao Ming's ability to alter shots and clog the lane gives the Rockets the freedom to extend their defense without fear of getting beaten off the dribble, they typically do so only to create turnovers when they get behind.

"I don't think they want to tire Yao out being the savior back there blocking shots and using energy that he doesn't need to expend," Cleamons said. "They cover very well for each other. They're active and long and they understand how to play with one another."

Houston coach Rick Adelman has given Bryant different defensive looks in each game this season, asking Artest to guard Bryant for most of their March 11 meeting before giving that responsibility to Battier in the most recent matchup. It was after that game that Lakers coach Phil Jackson revealed he gave Bryant a copy of that New York Times article, which focused on how Battier tries to force Bryant into taking shots from spots on the floor in which he's least comfortable.

"I gave that article to Kobe because I thought it was important for him," Jackson said. "I've told him about his penchant for taking on guys who could test him and at times making it into a mano-a-mano (matchup), which takes us out of our game."

The way Bryant spoke Saturday, it seems outdueling Artest or Battier is the last thing on his mind.

"He's so focused on our ultimate goal that he won't allow an individual thing to take us out of what we want to do," Derek Fisher said. "At the same time, he'll find his opportunities to send his messages. He's one of the best at it."

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NOTES

Lakers consultant Tex Winter has been moved to a long-term care facility in Kansas City specializing in rehabilitation for stroke victims.

Luke Walton's left ankle injury will sideline him for at least Monday's series opener, but Jackson expects him to play during the series.

Reach Jeff Eisenberg at 951-368-9357 or jeisenberg@PE.com