It?s one thing to be the best in the game and another to prove it even under life-changing circumstances and extreme pressure.

Kobe Bryant?s 42-point performance in Game 4 of the Lakers series-tying win at Staples Center drew mouth-gaping astonishment from onlookers and high praise from his teammates.  "I don't see how he does it," Shaquille O?Neal said after the performance.  "He's probably the best player to ever play the game, especially with all the stuff he's going through."

Bryant flew to Eagle, Colorado at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to plead not guilty to sexual assault, then flew two hours back to Los Angeles and took a nap before the game.

This was the fourth time that Bryant has spent the day of a game in court facing criminal charges.  When he?s hit the court that evening, Bryant has escaped his personal nightmare and inflicted one on his opponents.

"It takes your mind away from so many things. The pressure. The stress. Getting out on the basketball floor, it's an escape. It's fun."

With Bryant and O'Neal again getting on the same page at just the right time, the Lakers may be impossible to stop.