MyFoxHouston reports that Kobe Bryant worked out for two hours with Hakeem Olajuwon, trying to learn the post and mid-post moves that made “The Dream” such a nightmare on the block.

Olajuwon said Bryant reached out to him for help with his moves in the post.

“He gave me the biggest compliment,” Olajuwon said. “(He said) You are the best (at the) mid-post and post move.

“He wanted me to show my moves to him.”

Olajuwon said his style of play in the paint is really suited for a guy like Bryant.

“In my mind most of my moves for a guy (with) that agility can use it better than the big guy,” Olajuwon said. “Because my moves are not really for the big guy.

“It’s for the guards and small forwards. So he would benefit most on the post because of his agility.

“It was so much fun because how he picks it up. I worked with him for two hours, step by step.”

Kobe is nothing if not smart. He knows he’s getting older and wants to pick his spots when attacking the basket. Michael Jordan developed a devastating post up game in the back half of his career and it’s no surprise that Kobe would want extend his effectiveness in the same way. Look for Bryant to spend more time on the block this season as he incorporates these post moves into his game.

They had the second-best player in the league (Kobe), the second-best center (Pau Gasol), a talented forward with a unique set of skills (Lamar Odom), a breakout swingman (Trevor Ariza), a terrific leader and character guy at point (Derek Fisher), and that’s about it. They caught three breaks from February on — Kevin Garnett’s knee injury killing Boston’s season, Cleveland stupidly opting not to move Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract for one more piece, and Yao Ming breaking his foot in Round 2 — and cruised from there. You would not call them great, just very good. I would compare them to the 2003 Spurs, 2005 Spurs or 2006 Heat — the cream of a flawed crop of contenders.

Did they deserve to win the title? Of course. But they didn’t win because Kobe “really wanted this” and “trusted his teammates” and “finally figured it out” and all that revisionist crap.

If you’re playing the “Shut up, Kobe was better this spring!” card, your only real evidence is two signature Kick-Butt Kobe Finals Games (Games 1 and 5). But if you’re selling the “Kobe finally gets it” angle, then why was he gunning for 40 points at the tail end of a Game 1 blowout when he had already taken 30-plus shots? In Game 2, why did he go one-on-four for the winning basket (and miss) and ignore three wide-open teammates? Why did everyone so willingly gloss over the fact that, from the second quarter of Game 3 through overtime of Game 4, he missed 31 of 46 shots and kept shooting, anyway? Or that, near the tail end of Game 5, Kobe was so desperate to drain the clinching dagger that he clanged two 27-footers and allowed Orlando to climb within 12? Or that he didn’t have a single clutch moment in the Finals other than his sweet dish to Gasol during their frantic Game 4 comeback.

The entire piece is worth a read, especially for all of the Kobe apologists and Kobe haters out there. Simmons is quite complimentary towards the end.

I think Bryant altered his game somewhat, but it had as much (or more) to do with a much improved supporting cast as it did with any substantive changes to his mentality as the Lakers’ best player. He still took a number of bad shots, but he passed the ball more. The mentality to take over is still there and he doesn’t have complete trust in his teammates, but I’d say he has an appropriate trust in his teammates.

Simmons focuses on the change between last year and this year and, honestly, I don’t think Kobe changed much in that span. In the instant the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, Kobe went from unhappy to happy. It was that acquisition that made Kobe believe that the Lakers really had the roster that could go the distance. His outlook was more positive and it (usually) translated to his on-court demeanor.

Duh.

There’s always a lot on the line in the Conference Finals. But this year it seems like there is more at stake for the superstars still standing. Let’s start with…

KOBE

Kobe Bryant has made it abundantly clear that his #1 priority is to win another title. This focus is not unusual for players that haven’t won a ring, but Kobe has three, so why is he so determined to win a fourth? Simply stated, for the sake of his own legacy, he has to win a title without Shaq.

If he fails, he will be viewed by history as a great player who won a few titles as Shaq’s sidekick. This is not the legacy that Kobe wants to leave. Barring a two- or three-peat, he’s not going to be able to catch Michael Jordan, but if he is able to win a ring this year — and he’s the first to admit that this is his best chance — then he’ll do it as “The Guy” on a championship team. There’s no Shaq wreaking havoc in the middle, just a collection of players deemed too soft (Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom) or too young (Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza) that Kobe led to the Promised Land.

And the clock is ticking. Kevin Garnett could come back strong next season, LeBron is getting better by the year, and there are a few up-and-coming teams (Orlando, Houston, Portland, etc.) that are looking to knock Kobe off of his perch.

The time is now. Kobe’s window is closing, and he knows it.

LEBRON

By the time you read this, the Cavs might have already been eliminated from these playoffs. If so, expect columnists to come out of the woodwork across the country to once again pose the question — will LeBron stay?

Sorry Cavs fans, I know you thought you were in the clear, but if your team is unable to come back and win this series, it’s a valid question. LeBron and Co. had a great season, but it doesn’t mean much if they don’t make a Finals appearance. While a loss to the Lakers on the biggest of stages would be disappointing, it would be understandable. But being ousted by the Jameer Nelson-less Magic in the Conference Finals? This is not a scenario that LeBron saw coming. Not until now, anyway.

It would be one thing if LeBron was having a substandard series and could realistically put the blame on his own shoulders. If that were the case, he could convince himself that his supporting cast is strong enough to win an NBA championship. But LeBron has had a wonderful series, averaging 42.3 points, 7.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, while shooting almost 51% from the field. Sure, his turnovers have been high (4.5 per game, up from 3.0 during the regular season), but with the way his supporting cast has played, he has to carry his team.

Removing LeBron’s hits and misses, the rest of the Cavs have shot a combined 41% from the field. Mo Williams, who was brought in to take the pressure off of the Cavs’ superstar, is shooting just over 32% in the series, and those are mostly good looks. Delonte West’s three-point accuracy is down from 40% in the regular season to 29% in the Conference Finals. In fact, the Cavs’ role player numbers are down across the board.

They’re playing like the future of the franchise depends on it. (And it might.)

MELO

Carmelo Anthony has had kind of a funny NBA career. He won a national championship as a freshman at Syracuse, but that’s overlooked because it wasn’t until this season that he was able to lead the Nuggets out of the first round of the playoffs, and even then more credit is given to Chauncey Billups for being “the perfect fit” in Denver. It’s easy to forget that, as a rookie, Anthony led a Nuggets team that won 17 games the previous year to a 43-win season and a sixth-place finish in the West. He’s known as one of the league’s best scorers, but people question his willingness to play defense and do the little things it takes to win.

Battling a bad back and ankle pain, Anthony has put those concerns to rest, at least for me. Until he makes a Finals appearance, he’s going to play in the shadow of ’03 classmates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who have both done more in the same amount of time in the league. Is Anthony a “franchise” player deserving of a max contract? I had my doubts before these playoffs, but the way he competed in the first two games of this series, posting 30+ points while guarding Kobe most of the time, he sure looked like a franchise player. There’s no telling what kind of toll those aforementioned injuries are having on his effectiveness, though it might explain why he was unable to stop the bleeding when the Lakers went on a 23-5 run in Game 5.

The jury is probably still out on Melo, but I’d be willing to build my franchise around him. Never underestimate a player who has something to prove.

DWIGHT HOWARD

Note: Even though it was his nickname in high school, after a few complaints, I won’t call him D-Ho anymore. This guy really needs a better nickname than “Superman.”

Players like Dwight Howard are a dying breed. He’s a true back-to-the-basket center in a league that has become more guard- and wing-oriented in recent years. At 23, he’s already the second-best center (at least) in the NBA, and I think most GMs would take him in a heartbeat over Yao Ming given the latter’s long injury history.

The only area where Howard suffers is in his profile around the league. No one argues that he’s one of the NBA’s true superstars, yet from a notoriety standpoint, he’s not in the same league as Kobe, LeBron or even D-Wade (with all of those T-Mobile commercials). Right now, he’s known as a physical freak who can dunk like a madman.

These Conference Finals have put Howard front and center on a national (basic cable) stage, but there are still times when he disappears. Everyone remembers his outstanding performance in the overtime of Game 4 (10 points and a key block on LeBron), but where was he in the fourth quarter when he only scored one point?

Howard’s issues aren’t new. As a big man in the post, he’s forced to rely on his teammates to give him the ball. In crunch time, it’s tougher for a post player to get the ball than it is for a wing due to the nature of the pass. Defenses will usually allow Kobe or LeBron catching the ball out near midcourt, but they’re going to fight a lot harder to keep Howard from getting the ball on the block. The other issue is his free throw accuracy (or lack thereof). Since he shoots under 60% from the charity stripe, teams would rather put him on the line down the stretch than let him go to work in the post. Howard’s game is all about power, so he’s not able to avoid fouls like Tim Duncan can or Hakeem Olajuwon could with their finesse post up games.

Still, if Howard and the Magic can put the Cavs away and make a Finals appearance, it’s going to be a big boost for his reputation around the league. He will become just as valuable as Wade and start to approach Kobe and LeBron in potential impact on the league (not to mention the positive effect it will have on his Q Score).

Like most NBA fans (outside the greater Houston area), once the news broke that Yao Ming was going to miss the rest of the playoffs with a foot injury, I wrote off the Rockets. How could they possibly keep pace with one of the top two teams in the league without their best player?

Since the injury, the Rockets have taken two of three from the Lakers, and if Kobe and Co. were truly championship worthy, they would have gone on the road and won Game 4 or Game 6. Laker apologists will probably just say that their team will still win in Game 7 and they’ll go on to win the championship, but really, they shouldn’t be in this position in the first place. Anything can happen in a single game, and sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s just not your night. What if the Rockets collectively catch fire like they did in Game 4? What if Kobe has one of his 5-for-20 days? Or what if Pau Gasol goes down with an injury that knocks him out of the game?

By letting the Rockets get back into the series, the Lakers have no margin for error. That’s the whole point of a seven-game series — it’s designed so that poor luck and bad nights don’t send a true champion home early.

The Lakers are probably going to win Game 7 and advance to play Denver. But the damage may already be done. Doubt has crept into the minds of the Laker rotation players. Andrew Bynum is averaging less than five points in just 15 minutes of playing time. Sasha “The (Self-Proclaimed) Machine” Vujacic is averaging 3.5 points per game on 29% shooting. Derek Fisher isn’t doing any better — 5.2 ppg, 29% FG%. Luke Walton is shooting just 30% in the series. Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar are playing decent, and Lamar Odom is doing okay in limited minutes, but it hasn’t been enough to help Kobe and Pau put a beat up Rockets team away. Phil Jackson is scrambling to find a five-man unit that works, and he’s having a hell of a time.

But these Lakers lack what every Laker team has lacked for the last several years…chemistry. Think about it — to varying degrees, the Cavs, Nuggets, Celtics, Rockets and Magic all seem to actually enjoy playing with each other. The congratulations seem enthusiastic, and the comfort seems genuine. But these Lakers look like nine or 10 different individuals playing a team game. Kobe is only happy with his teammates when they succeed. If they don’t, he treats them like a passive-aggressive (or just aggressive) stepfather who never wanted to be a parent in the first place. And there is so much pressure on Kobe’s “kids.” If they fail and the Lakers don’t win a championship, they’ll be responsible for daddy being denied the one thing in this world that he really wants — another championship.

If they do manage to win Game 7 on Sunday and advance, how do these Lakers go on to beat the Nuggets or (likely) the Cavs, two teams that are playing their best basketball of the season? Will they be able to put this series behind them and suddenly everything will start clicking again? It’s possible, because we don’t know for sure what kind of toll the Rockets’ defense is having on these Lakers — maybe seeing a new team will give everyone the fresh start that they need.

Then again, maybe the damage is already done.