This time, it was Phil Jackson who was forced to tinker early and often, going with a big backcourt of Kobe and Brian Shaw to slow down Sacramento's tough runts -- and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible -- Bobby Jackson and Bibby, and then playing small ball with four guards and Shaq in a desperate comeback bid.

The former didn't really work, the latter did for a stretch.

Unlike the Lakers, who don't have the firepower to limitlessly expand a lead, the Kings pushed theirs out to as many as 27, thanks to the resurgence of Hedo Turkoglu (14 points) and all five starters recording three or more assists. The Kings started from outside (11 of their first 14 baskets from 14 feet or beyond), but they attacked the rim in the fourth quarter, scoring five of their eight baskets on layups or dunks, and shooting 16 free throws. To all of which I say: Thank you, Kings. It's hardly sporting when a champion doesn't have to play its best to win, which looked like it could be the case after Games 1 and 2.

The Kings did such a number on the Staples Center crowd that one bellicose Lakers fan in his purple Shaq jersey yelled, "C'mon!" and "What the hell!" and "I could've watched this at home!" Those snappy lines were last uttered by a twentysomething in a CWebb jersey in Arco during Game 1.

"The series," said Kings back-up center Lawrence Funderburke, "can begin now."

The big tactical challenge for Jackson is how to contain Bibby. He can do that by putting Kobe on him, but with Bryant as his primary energy guy, how much will it hurt the Lakers elsewhere if he has to expend himself denying Bibby the ball?

Overall, two elements will determine how dramatic the rest of this series is. The Lakers have demonstrated they don't have the offense to recover from a big deficit the way the Kings can; it's paramount for Los Angeles to get an early lead or at least stay within single-digit striking distance. Only then can they take advantage of the other element, which is the Kings' mental toughness, now more suspect than ever after the Lakers dominated the fourth quarter of Game 3.

That aforementioned four-guard Lakers' trapping press? It burped up four Kings' turnovers in the span of 36 seconds. You read that right -- 36 seconds. Sacramento did everything from travel out of bounds (Vlade Divac) to pass the ball directly to a Laker (Christie). It was as if the Lakers finally got close enough to appear in the Kings' rearview mirror, prompting the Kings to realize exactly who they were playing. Or maybe they simply had a collective brain fade. In any case, the Lakers were within 12 with more than seven minutes to play after scoring 14 straight points in 53 seconds.

Then, Bibby and Webber stepped up. Webber calmly buried a jumper over Shaq, who stood six feet away rather than risk a sixth foul, and Bibby turned the corner on Lindsey Hunter to find an open path to the basket.

The Kings, by the way, are not practicing Saturday. It's hard to argue with their approach since they lead the series, but you'd think they might want to at least go over a few inbounds plays.

Whatever happens, the experience of winning a game on the defending champion's floor should serve the Kings well for many playoff series to come. It's still hard to picture them winning two more games, but they're demanding that the Lakers step up, which is more than anyone could've predicted after Games 1 and 2.

Asked if falling behind to the Kings was the result of the two-time champions' inability to rouse themselves from their we-can't-be-beat lethargy, Kobe said, "Well, we're not bored now. We have to meet the challenge. It's going to be fun."

Yes, finally, it is.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.