NBA | Kobe Bryant's back stimulates discussion

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Kobe Bryant met the media Monday with a new companion — an electronic stimulation device hooked up to his sore lower back.

Plans call for the two to spend a lot of time together for the next couple of days, or longer.

The Los Angeles Lakers' star tweaked his back in the opening minutes of Sunday's 123-115 overtime loss at Utah that tied the Western Conference semifinals 2-2.

"It's pretty sore right now," Bryant said Monday. "It's tight. It's to be expected the next day, I guess. I don't know how I made it through the game, to be honest with you."

Bryant said he was receiving treatment around the clock.

"Secret stuff," he replied with a smile when asked to be specific about the treatment.

Regarding the electronic stimulating device, Bryant said he had slept with it on Sunday night.

"It cuts down the pain," he said. "How, I don't know."

The teams play Game 5 in the best-of-seven series Wednesday night at Staples Center, where the Lakers are 16-3 against the Jazz since the arena opened before the 1999-2000 season.

Bryant said he was just glad Game 5 wasn't being played tonight.

"It was give me another day to recuperate," he said. "I'll be ready to play. I can't imagine it being any worse than it was last night."

Stern says smoke, noise "ridiculous"

CLEVELAND — On the subject of the NBA's infatuation with pregame pyrotechnics, smoke and noise, commissioner David Stern was loud and clear: He's had enough.

"I'm going to get into trouble for this: I think they're ridiculous," Stern said before Game 3 of the Boston-Cleveland Eastern Conference semifinal. "I think that the noise, the fire [and] the smoke is the kind of assault that we should seriously consider reviewing whether it's really necessary, given the quality of our game.

"It may be these are the maniacal rantings of a fan from a different era and I recognize that. But I'm sitting there waiting for the next cannon to go off and then the fire heats up the arena, so the temperature rises by 15 degrees. That's if you can see it because you're still waiting for the smoke — which is chemical — to clear, which is invariably done by the end of the half."

Game 1 of the San Antonio-New Orleans Western Conference semifinal series was delayed 20 minutes after residue from a fire extinguisher had to be cleaned off the court. Super Hugo, the Hornets' mascot, dove through a flaming hoop that team officials had trouble putting out. The league fined the Hornets.

"I always bite my tongue," Stern said, "because I say, 'Maybe I'm not the demographic that likes to be assaulted by loud rap, smoke, pyrotechnics and chemicals.' I'm outdated but I think it's time for us to say, 'Hey, guys let's look at it one more time.'

"I think we should have [this issue] as a time-capsule item because in some future century, people will say, 'What were they thinking?' I'm positive [the late Celtics icon] Red [Auerbach] is watching and getting ready to call me. I think we've gone over the top."

Notes

• Bryant and Kevin Garnett were selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team, along with Marcus Camby, Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan. Bryant and Garnett each received 24 first-place votes from the league's 30 coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

• Mike D'Antoni has wrapped up his negotiations with New York and will be introduced as Knicks coach at a 10 a.m. news conference today.