Abdul-Jabbar Has Long Shot Finally Pay Off

When Laker Coach Pat Riley saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar go up for the jumper from the left corner, beyond the three-point line, he was ready to point an accusing finger at the Laker bench.

“I wanted to know who on the bench told him to shoot it,” said Riley, who was standing only a few feet away when Abdul-Jabbar decided it was bombs away with 55 seconds left in the second quarter here Tuesday night.

The No. 1 suspect? Magic Johnson, who sat out the Lakers’ 97-93 win over the Phoenix Suns but led the sideline celebration when Abdul-Jabbar’s 23-foot shot hit nothing but net for the first three-pointer of his National Basketball Assn. career.

“Nobody’s going to tell,” Johnson said with a wide smile, “but that shot was a ‘10’ all the way. And he didn’t just wish it in, either.”

It was, however, something Abdul-Jabbar had openly wished for, and when it came, the Laker bench went bonkers.

“A shock,” Mychal Thompson said. “As shocking as Reagan saying he didn’t know about the Iran arms deal.”

For after-shocks, there was backup guard Wes Matthews, who has barely played in the last two months, throwing in two jumpers in the fourth quarter to help salvage what may have been the Lakers’ ugliest win of the season--the first in which they’ve scored fewer than 100 points.

All the elements for a stinker were there. Magic, resting his inflamed Achilles’ tendon in his left foot, was sitting out a game for the first time this season. The game was the last of a four-city trip and was part of a stretch of six games in which the Lakers rebuffed the Celtics, waxed Michael Jordan, and hosed down the 76ers in overtime.

The Suns--who had lost four of their last five games, all at home, and already had been blown out twice by the Lakers, once with a record 89-point first half--were hardly the stuff of inspiration.

Perhaps that’s why the Laker coach was more riled than usual on the sideline. He probably figured he had to do something to get the Lakers interested.

Abdul-Jabbar, however, may have taken care of that with his three-pointer, which gave the Lakers a 47-46 lead. They held that advantage until forward Larry Nance bulled inside for a layup, was fouled, and made a free throw to put Phoenix ahead, 81-80, with 5:42 to go.

But Byron Scott, who shut down high-scoring Walter Davis (15 points), fed James Worthy for a layup, Matthews followed with an 18-footer and the Lakers never looked back, holding the Suns scoreless for the next 4:21.

In that time, A.C. Green, who had a game-high 15 rebounds, had 4 rebounds, made a steal, scored a basket and made one of 2 free throws.

Eight free throws in the last 62 seconds, five by Magic’s fill-in, Michael Cooper, cinched it. Cooper and Scott each scored 21 points to lead the Lakers, although Scott’s streak of 35 straight free throws ended when he rimmed a shot with 5:49 left in the third quarter.

Abdul-Jabbar had attempted 13 three-pointers in the last eight seasons, two this season, before connecting on a night in which he was having trouble getting his usual offering, the sky hook, to drop. He scored 19 points but made just 8 of 18 shots.

He had gone to retrieve a miss by Cooper when he found himself alone in the corner. Sun forward Larry Nance made a half-hearted move toward him, but by then it was too late. The bench may have been egging him on, but Abdul-Jabbar said he heard no one.

“They (the Suns) just fell back inside and collapsed,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “It felt good when it left my hand.”

It felt better when it went in.

“I looked back and saw them (the Laker bench) all standing up,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Riley expected the day would come, however, when Abdul-Jabbar made one. He’d seen him do it in practice enough times.

“He shot it like he knew what he was doing,” Riley said. “And he certainly deserved the luxury of taking one. Whether it was a good shot is irrelevant.

“He said he wanted to make one before he retired. I hope this doesn’t mean he’s going to walk away now.”

Not a chance. Abdul-Jabbar figures he’s on a roll now.

“He (Riley) has got to give me the green light now,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

And while he’s at it, he might notice Matthews, who had sat out the last six games. He missed his first two shots, but he came out of nowhere to make a spectacular block, then hit two shots of his own.

“I was totally foreign to the floor,” Matthews said. “I’ve been waiting a long time, but I’ve been practicing hard, my attitude’s good, and a today I had a chance to contribute.”