Gary Payton was running his mouth as tirelessly as he had throughout his 16-year career, spewing some trash-talking psychology to get into Lamar Odom's head, all the while getting up into Kobe Bryant's frame.
In a game that was hyped as Part II of the Christmas Day duel between divorced Lakers teammates, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and as a matchup of former sideline coaching rivals, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, it was Payton who had the best parting shot.
With 1 minute, 5 seconds to play in an entertaining matinee on the Heat's home court Sunday, Payton knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Heat the lead on the way to a 97-92 victory at American Airlines Arena.
Payton, the 37-year-old backup point guard for the Heat, joined O'Neal and Bryant in the 2003-2004 season for what was their last, ill-fated year together in Los Angeles. Payton might have retired this past summer were it not for an impassioned pitch by Heat President Riley, that made Payton feel as if he would be a key to winning a championship.
he's not dead yet
"We didn't bring him in here on a gurney," Riley said. "This is not a quick trip to South Beach, have some fun in the sun, Gary. And I think he realized that."
After the game, Payton kept jabbering at a fuming Odom, who happened to be the key player the Lakers received in the O'Neal trade two years ago, and the Laker player who missed a crucial 3-pointer on the possession before Payton made his.
Payton and Odom and had to be separated by officials before a Heat official escorted a smiling Payton to the locker room.
"It was one of them nights, I played defense, I played well," Payton said after leading the Heat with 21 points.
He was also called for a technical foul in the third quarter for arguing.
As for his interplay with Odom, he said: "That's the way I am -- he talks to me, I talk to him. It was fun to me and it stayed fun."
Not everybody had that much fun in a game of minor skirmishes and a frantic finish. Bryant shot 12 for 30 on the way to leading all scorers with 37 points, but he was 2 of 6 in the fourth quarter and had just four points thanks to Payton's defense. Payton ran from behind to contest Bryant's last-gasp 3-pointer, with a chance to tie the score with 2.9 seconds left.
"He had a great game," Bryant said. "He actually taught me to play defense. I wasn't surprised by his play at all."
The anticipation built around the third meeting between O'Neal and Bryant, the second before a Christmas Day audience on national television. Last year, O'Neal bumped Bryant before the tip-off, but he did not go near him this time. O'Neal gave quick hugs to Chris Mihm, Brian Cook and Odom, ignoring Bryant. They never spoke.
"I wish you all would stop asking me about it," O'Neal said of their relationship. "Stop asking me what two plus two is. Everybody knows it's five."
O'Neal struggled to find space in the paint, and Riley lashed out against Lakers defenders, saying they were holding him down. O'Neal still managed to score 18 points and grab 17 rebounds.
"I was just a little too anxious," O'Neal said. "My teammates stuck up for me. I was just trying to kill them all on every play."
flagrant foul
Dwyane Wade seemed just as frustrated as O'Neal, playing just 29 minutes because of foul trouble. His fourth foul was a flagrant one on Bryant in the first minute of the second half; it kept him on the bench for 13 minutes. Wade was retaliating for a Bryant elbow to his mouth that was not called; Bryant said he was retaliating for an earlier play.
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