In Opener, Lakers Pick Up Where They Left Off : L.A. Faces Rockets Today at Houston, Where Last Season Came to Abrupt End

The idea that the Lakers are no longer the dominant National Basketball Assn. team this side of the Charles River apparently does not compute in the mind of Magic Johnson, who must be forgetting that last spring’s seasonal trip back to Boston stalled in Houston.

Not only did the Lakers fail to win consecutive league titles, the club’s Western Conference domination also abruptly ended when the Rockets convincingly dismissed them in five games.

But Johnson insists that the Lakers, regardless of their inability to repeat as champions, will not repeat last season’s playoff pratfall.

“I don’t think we have to redeem ourselves,” Johnson said. “We had a super season, won 62 games. We just got caught playing bad and them playing well at a bad time. All we have to do is worry about ourselves.”

Some less optimistic people are worrying about the Lakers, who will open the season here today (Channel 2, 12:30 p.m. PST) against Houston seemingly in no better position to handle the young, talented and very tall Rockets than last season.

“All we got to do is play our game and we’ll be all right,” Johnson said.

The Lakers’ game, of course, is to run whenever possible. But the Rockets, with 7-foot Akeem Olajuwon and 7-4 Ralph Sampson, slowed the Lakers in the series and caused all sorts of matchup problems. Since neither Sampson, who will miss today’s game because of an ankle injury, nor Olajuwon has shrunk, those problems still exist.

In the aftermath of the playoff loss, Laker Coach Pat Riley and General Manager Jerry West promised to make changes--and they did. But change is not always for the better, and it is questionable whether the deletions from and additions to the roster will make a significant difference.

Height and bulk, not speed and shooting, were what the Lakers really needed in last season’s playoff series with the Rockets. The Lakers could only counter the Twin Towers with their lone monument, 7-2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and several condominiums.

“We definitely don’t deserve to be the front-runner; Houston does,” said 39-year-old Abdul-Jabbar, who will soon sign a contract extension for 1987-88. “But with the team we have, we’re contenders.”

Since the Lakers have yet to find another tall, talented tower to team with Abdul-Jabbar, they have seemingly chosen to go the other way. They want to run even more than in previous seasons, fast-breaking whenever possible and pressuring opponents on defense.

It’s what the Lakers do best, and Riley is hoping it causes matchup problems of a different sort. Besides, the Lakers tried playing physically with Houston, and look what happened.

“We’ve got no choice now,” Riley said. “This year, we better run. We thought we could power them, and we did. It was a close (series). But we didn’t make them play us, and that’s uncharacteristic of us. . . . We have to stop worrying about what we don’t have.”

Conversely, the Lakers didn’t keep some of what they had last season.

The core of the team--Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, A.C. Green and Michael Cooper--has not changed.

Otherwise . . .

The Lakers waved goodby to their leading rebounder last season, 6-9 muscle man Maurice Lucas. The 34-year-old Lucas wasn’t exactly considered Mr. Congeniality by Riley or teammates, and he was too slow to join in the fast breaks. But Lucas served a purpose--rebounding and enforcing--that the Lakers now lack.

They welcomed veteran center Mitch Kupchak, who was well liked and a hard worker, into the front office. Kupchak, 32, retired in September after 10 NBA seasons and is now assistant general manager.

One of the vacated forward positions has been filled by Frank Brickowski, a reserve power forward who played for Seattle the last two seasons. Brickowski, 6-10, is physical underneath but has limited ability.

The Lakers don’t have the NBA’s smallest group of big men, as West points out. Abdul-Jabbar’s backups at center are 7-2 Petur Gudmundsson and Brickowski; Kurt Rambis, 6-8, and A.C. Green, 6-9, are capable rebounders and adequate defenders at power forward.

“I don’t know how everyone keeps saying we’re a small team because we’re not,” said West, who says he is still looking for another big player. “Only about four teams are taller than we are.”

The problem is that Boston and Houston are two of those teams.

“We’ve got good athletes who can keep up with anybody,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “That’s important. Any plan is limited by the guys you’ve got doing it.”

The Lakers will likely take advantage of Johnson’s impressive versatility more than in previous seasons. At 6-9, Johnson is capable of playing every position except center. In an emergency, you may recall, he can even play there.

Riley wants to divide the point-guard duties, almost exclusively Johnson’s in the past, among Johnson, Michael Cooper and newcomer Wes Matthews. That frees Johnson to play more off-guard and small forward. Another lineup Riley has tinkered with during the exhibition season has Cooper and Byron Scott at guards, Worthy at small forward, Johnson at power forward and Abdul-Jabbar at center.

“You’ll be seeing that lineup, maybe not against the Twin Towers but against smaller teams,” Riley said. “It’s one of the best lineups we have. Earvin can play the big guy.”

Somebody has to. Power forward was the Lakers’ biggest weakness last season. Rambis is a fine rebounder and works hard on defense, but Riley has said he needs more scoring from that position. Green, who will miss the first two weeks of the season with a torn ligament in his left thumb, had a shaky rookie season in 1985-86 but scored and rebounded well in the exhibition season.

The Lakers’ other potential problem this season is lack of experience--and talent--on the bench.

With Lucas in Seattle, Kupchak kicked upstairs, Mike McGee traded to Atlanta, Larry Spriggs playing in Spain and Ronnie Lester traded to Seattle, where he was cut, Riley will see mostly new faces when he looks down the bench.

There is first-round draft pick Billy Thompson, a 6-6 forward who came to the Lakers on draft day from Atlanta for McGee. Thompson wasn’t impressive during the exhibition season, and Riley probably won’t use him much early.

“Billy’s struggling,” Riley said. “He’s not running well enough for this team. I think Billy’s got the potential to be a fine pro. It’s just going to take time.”

Other additions include the well-traveled Matthews, who can play both point and off-guard, and 6-7 rookie forward Adrian Branch, a good shooter who needs to work on defensive skills.

West says he is still trying to acquire another big man to come off the bench. But if no more changes are made, look for Riley to use only eight or nine players, just as he did last season.

Also just as last season, the Western Conference finals will probably match the Lakers and the Rockets.

Magic Johnson can’t wait.

“They have to get past us,” Johnson said. “And we’re going to be waiting right here for them.”

Laker Notes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, beginning his 18th season, says he has agreed to terms and will sign a contract extension for the 1987-88 season soon. “It’s just the X and O wording that needs to be worked out--it’s done,” Abdul-Jabbar said. . . . Houston’s 6-8 point guard, Robert Reid, has been bothered by a bad knee and may join Ralph Sampson, who has a sprained left ankle, on the Rocket bench today. . . . Laker Coach Pat Riley on the importance of today’s rematch with Houston: “It’s exciting, it’s national television, so a lot of people will be focusing on it. I don’t think there’s any doubt we’ll be geared up for it. I don’t think the result one way or the other is going to make any difference other than winning one regular-season game or losing one. If we win, we’ll feel good about getting back. And if they win, they’re going to say it’s true that they’re better. I can write the story for you right now.”

1986-87 LAKER ROSTER

No. Player Pos Ht. Wt. Age College Yr. 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 7-2 257 39 UCLA 18 Dale Blaney* G 6-5 180 22 West Virigina R 24 Adrian Branch F 6-7 185 22 Maryland R 43 Frank Brickowski F 6-10 240 27 Penn State 3 21 Michael Cooper G-F 6-7 176 30 New Mexico 9 45 A.C. Green F 6-9 231 23 Oregon State 2 34 Petur Gudmundsson C 7-2 270 28 Washington 3 32 Earvin Johnson G 6-9 226 27 Michigan State 8 1 Wes Matthews G 6-1 170 27 Wisconsin 7 31 Kurt Rambis F 6-8 213 28 Santa Clara 6 4 Byron Scott G 6-4 192 25 Arizona State 4 55 Billy Thompson F 6-6 210 22 Louisville R 42 James Worthy F 6-9 225 24 North Carolina 5 COACH: Pat Riley. ASSISTANTS: Bill Bertka, Randy Pfund.

*--On suspended list.