LOS ANGELES -- However overdue it might seem, however fleeting or lasting it might turn out to be, it finally can be said that the Los Angeles Lakers are a playoff team. The proclamation comes by virtue of their 90-81 victory over the Chicago Bulls that was low in aesthetic value and high in significance, because it gave them a 33-31 record, good for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference playoffs.Kobe Bryant's reaction? A low-toned, sarcastic "Yippee."The truth is, he and the Lakers are pleased...