Lakers pick up the pace in 113-96 win against Knicks

The Lakers are 4-0 on their seven-game trip, and they did it Friday in front of General Manager Mitch Kupchak, who sat in the crowd about 20 rows behind the Lakers' bench among family members.

"I'm starting to see signs of resuscitation," he said as the final seconds wound down.

Indeed, the Lakers are picking up the pace a few games before the All-Star break.

There were highlights aplenty. Shannon Brown reached way back to grab Steve Blake's alley-oop and dunk it. Pau Gasol got Amare Stoudemire into the air with a fake, then blew past Timofey Mozgov for a one-handed dunk.

Bryant came out firing in the building that's always treated him well, scoring 19 points in the first quarter. Gasol took over in the second quarter, scoring 12 points, and the Lakers led by 14 at halftime.

And to think there were pseudo-doubters before the game. One was even named Phil Jackson.

"We may physically not be able to keep up with this [New York] team and the speed they have," the Lakers coach said before sticking it to the media. "We are decrepit and old, as many of you pundits have written."

The Lakers (38-16) were playing for the second time in two nights, but it didn't show.

They scored 62 points in the first half and shot 53.6% in the game. They led by 22 in the fourth quarter.

Gasol had 20 points, Lamar Odom had 14 and the Lakers easily won in what was billed by local TV broadcasts as Jackson's last game at the Garden.

Jackson, of course, joked about the place where he spent so many years as a player. He claimed he didn't feel the pang of nostalgia.

"Just riding in that elevator makes you want to think about, 'I don't want to do this anymore,' " he said of a rickety arena lift that he claimed often smelled like elephants.

Bryant, for his part, wasn't buying Jackson's claim of a lack of interest in the game.

"I was aware this could be his last time here," Bryant said. "He'll never say it, he'll never show it, but I'm sure it means a lot to him."

Playing at Madison Square Garden always means quite a bit to Bryant. He came into the game with a 30.3-point career average here, and he surpassed it Friday without playing in the fourth quarter.

"This is a guy that loves to play in the big sites, likes the audience, he likes the attention," Jackson said. "He rises to the occasion."

Knicks fans weren't so enthralled.

The only thing that got them going in the fourth quarter was the scoreboard camera showing New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan and "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven in courtside seats.

Not that the Lakers cared about the slumping Knicks (26-26). They're on a roll.

"The attitude is much better," Gasol said. "The body language is better. We're more confident out there."