This is Kobe Bryant's gift and curse. Each time he grabs the carrot tied on a rope in front of him, it is quickly replaced with another. There is always another step on the path to a higher pedestal. Last season, he claimed his fourth championship and held his first trophy without his former running mate Shaquille O'Neal and equaled O'Neal's total number of titles. This year, he is trying to repeat as a champion without O'Neal, an accomplishment O'Neal has not managed since the pair fractured. A title this year would bring another feat into Bryant's crosshairs: six championships would equal Michael Jordan's output. Standing firmly in Bryant's way are the players who denied him two years ago -- Ray Allen, Tony Allen and a suffocating unit that constitutes the Celtics' defense. As the finals continue, memories of 2008 have crept into the series, which is tied at 2-2. In the 2008 finals, the Celtics' defense caged Bryant. They allowed him to amass points but forced him into taking a high number of shots. Bryant's attempt to win the series by himself became a losing mission against the team-oriented Celtics. Throughout the years, the self-proclaimed Bryant stoppers have come and gone. With time, Bryant usually figures a way to leave a scorched net in his wake. But the Celtics' defense presents difficulties that Bryant has yet to completely overcome. Bryant is rarely complimentary -- of his own game, his teammates or the opposition. Yet, there he sat at the lectern after the Lakers' 96-89 loss in Game 4, flowering green-hued compliments. Of Tony Allen, Boston's reserve defensive specialist, Bryant said, 'He does a great job.' Of the Celtics' defense as a whole, he said, 'Oh, it's right up there with the best of them.' This series has shown little rhythm from one game to the next. In Game 1, Bryant picked up where he left off against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals, scoring 30 points on 22 shots in the Lakers' win. Boston's All-Stars Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo paced the Celtics in Game 2. Afterward, the role players became the stars, first the Lakers' Derek Fisher in Game 3 followed by Boston's Glen Davis and Nate Robinson. 'It's a lot of teeter-totter here, despair and elation, but we're going to try and establish the fact that we're going back to LA with a 3-2 lead,' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. Anyone, it seems, can be a star in this series. There is little telling who will rise in Sunday's Game 5, but whoever does, his play will have large implications for the rest of the series. There have been 25 NBA finals tied at 2-2. The Game 5 winner has won the series 19 times. Against the Suns, Bryant averaged 33.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists. After concerns that age had finally gotten to his legs, the 31-year-old Bryant appeared fresh and primed. Now, Jackson is concerned that Bryant will grow weary as the finals enter their deeper games. With each game, it seems Bryant is having more difficulty getting to his sweet spots on the court. Bryant is getting his points in the finals, averaging 28.3 a game. But some of his statistics resemble those from the finals two years ago. He scored 29 points while going 10-for-29 in Game 3, which is similar to two games from 2008 (7 for 22 for 22 points and 8 for 21 with 25 points). He scored 33 points in the Lakers' Game 4 loss, but many of the points originated on contested 3-pointers. Bryant drained six 3-pointers in the game, but shot 5-for-14 in the second half. The Celtics closed the gaps on his drives and made him detour before he got near the lane. Bryant's closest field goal came from nine feet. In the process, Bryant turned the ball over seven times, calling the total 'horrible.' 'They're a great scheming team,' Bryant said. 'They have a strategy in place, and they execute extremely well.' Bryant attempted more 3-pointers in Game 4 (11) than in any games over the past two regular seasons. He also shot 11 3s in a Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Celtics coach Doc Rivers is using Tony Allen as Bryant's primary second-half defender. Allen has received eight stitches from Bryant in the series, but is playing capably. Allen stays high on Bryant's right side. Only when Bryant drives will Boston's post players offer help. Rivers likened Allen's role to that of the Lakers' Ron Artest, who has mostly played against Boston's Paul Pierce in the series. 'That doesn't mean you're going to stop anybody,' Rivers said. 'There's nobody, by the way, that's stopping Kobe Bryant.' If there is, he said, 'I haven't met him or it, because I don't think it would be a person. 'But you know, Tony's job is to come in, and his main focus is defense, just be a defensive player, and that allows you to guard the big guys because you don't have any other worries, about offense or rebounding. You're worried about your assignment. Whenever you pick somebody to do that, it gives them a chance to be a better defender, and I think that's what Tony is doing.' Bryant would be helped by Andrew Bynum's presence, because the Celtics would not leave Bynum alone when Bryant drove. In 2008, Bynum did not play, and his troublesome knee has limited his minutes in this series. As the memories continue to stir, Bryant said he remains unbothered. 'I'm more concerned about getting rebounds and getting the loose balls and stuff like that,' Bryant said. 'When push comes to shove, I can always get a bucket.' 