Shaq Shows Up but Mates Don’t

PORTLAND, Ore. — The end of the line for the Lakers’ winning streak came at the end of the line, the finale to a stretch of four games in five nights in four cities, which would have allowed for being tired.

Mental mistakes, that’s another matter. But they were a big reason why they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 88-84, before 21,538 at the Rose Garden, despite 34 points and 12 rebounds by a supposedly hobbled Shaquille O’Neal. The defeat snapped the Laker string of consecutive victories at six.

Relying too much on O’Neal, they tried to hammer the ball inside to him at times when reversing it to the other side for a change would have loosened the defense up for everyone.

Kenny Anderson made a three-point shot with 51 seconds to play in the game and two on the shot clock that gave the Trail Blazers an 87-84 lead.

“The one that did us in,” Coach Del Harris said after the Lakers had scored their final points a minute earlier.

And that doesn’t begin to address the poor ball movement that generated only 18 assists or the 11-for-24 free-throw shooting in a game they lost by four points.

It’s one of the few times that being the worst free-throw shooting team in the league hurt the Lakers.

“We definitely have to work on execution, whether on set plays or missed screens, “ Kobe Bryant said after playing 23 minutes, his third consecutive game with extensive action. “We definitely have to get in some practice.”

Instead, the Lakers get a team they have already lost to, the Charlotte Hornets, on Wednesday and the Atlantic Division-leading Miami Heat on Friday.

The Lakers knew the game would provide a test on several fronts. For one thing, the Trail Blazers were their first opponent with a winning record in nearly three weeks, since a Dec. 17 game against the Bulls. That produced a bitter overtime defeat that was followed by seven wins in eight games against sub-.500 clubs, the only loss in that stretch coming to the Timberwolves.

For another, O’Neal had spent part of Sunday night walking through the locker room at Vancouver like a man who had been hit in the ankles a few hundred times by a hammer. He had twisted both ankles, the right one last Thursday and the left one on Sunday.

The Lakers had listed him as a game-time decision, but by the afternoon it had become apparent he would play. Harris had the option of holding him out in hope that the joints would get enough rest to be ready for Wednesday, but that, the coach said, was never considered.

“I’m still old school,” Harris said. “You play one game at a time. You let the next game take care of itself. If someone could guarantee me that if he did not play [Monday] he would play without pain for the rest of the season, I’d do it. But there was no such guarantee.”

Only reliance on O’Neal’s threshold of pain, two therapy sessions from trainer Gary Vitti since morning and enough tape on his ankles to mummify most people.

“I did OK,” O’Neal said. “We all did OK.”

Well, not all. Harris could only have wished all of his players were so banged up. Through three quarters, O’Neal had scored half of the Lakers’ 64 points, with only Elden Campbell joining in double figures. The Lakers were in the game thanks to the guy they weren’t even sure would be in the game.

And they were in it until the end too. Just not at the very end.

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A Season of Expectations

The Lakers acquired nine new players this season, including Shaquille O’Neal and his $120-million contract. In turn, with big acquisitions come big expectations. Throughout the season, The Times will monitor O’Neal’s numbers along with how the team compares to some of the best Laker teams in history.

GAME 35 OF 82

* Record 25-10

* Standing 1st place

Pacific Division

1996-97 LAKERS VS. THE BEST LAKER TEAMS

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Year Gm. 35 Overall 1987-88 28-7 62-20 1986-87 27-8 65-17 1984-85 24-11 62-20 1979-80 24-11 60-22 1971-72 32-3 69-13

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Note: The five teams above all won NBA championships

THE SHAQ SCOREBOARD

Basketball Numbers

* Monday’s Game:

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Min FG FT Reb Blk Pts 40 15-23 4-14 12 3 34

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* 1996-97 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 39.5 .563 .489 13.0 2.9 26.5

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* 1995-96 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 36.0 .573 .487 11.0 2.1 26.6

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Money Numbers

* Monday’s Salary $130,658.53

* Season Totals $4,573,048.55

* FACTOID: After missing their first three shots in game 35 of the 1987-88 season, the Lakers made 18 consecutive field goals and raced to a 121-110 victory over Houston. James Worthy, Byron Scott, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combined for 109 points, prompting Coach Pat Riley to say: “We may have played over our heads.”