Lakers’ 113-109 Win Has a Special Ring to It : Magic Gets 26 Points in Comeback Victory Over the SuperSonics

For a change, diamonds were the Lakers’ best friend.

The championship rings the Lakers received Friday night fit perfectly on the first try, as they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics, 113-109, in the 1987-88 season opener before a crowd of 17,505 at the Forum.

“We’re not guys who’ll settle for what we did last year--forget that,” said Magic Johnson, who returned from three weeks of inactivity to score 26 points--including 6 of the Lakers’ last 7, of which 4 were free throws in the last 35 seconds.

“We’re out to take care of business again.”

The Lakers have had a history of standing on ceremony--the last two times the commissioner passed out the one-of-a-kind jewelry, the Lakers played as if they’d be pawning them the next day. In 1985, they were waxed by Cleveland, 129-111, after getting the same treatment in 1982 from Golden State.

For a few precious moments, it looked like more of the same Friday night. The Lakers got their rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hoisted the trophy, a new championship banner was unveiled--and Seattle staged a stickup.

The SuperSonics led by 11 in the second quarter and were still 11 ahead, 81-70, with 5:10 to play in the third quarter.

It was hard to say who was worse off--Johnson, who had missed most of the exhibition schedule because of tendinitis in his left Achilles, or the rest of the Lakers, who had endured a 10,000-mile trip in the last 13 days.

“I felt great (physically), but I was out of sync, and that was killing me,” Johnson said. “I was rusty.”

That was never more apparent than in the second quarter, when Johnson attempted his “junior” skyhook--the shot he made famous in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston last season--only to have it hit the glass about two feet wide of the basket.

“I was nudged,” Johnson said, hiding his face. “I said, ‘Oh, no, why did he nudge me?’ I knew that any push and the shot would be way off.

“I was so embarrassed.”

Not to worry. The Lakers, who had been trying to fend off the SuperSonics as they came in waves--Seattle Coach Bernie Bickerstaff cleared his bench in the first 10:42--answered with a blitz of their own.

The Lakers outscored Seattle, 17-7, in the rest of the quarter. Mychal Thompson had eight points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar six and A.C. Green three in that stretch.

Green, who would finish with 21 points, scored 12 in the quarter and also had 5 of his game-high 12 rebounds.

Then, Seattle went scoreless in the first 3:37 of the fourth quarter, and the Lakers were ahead by nine, 95-86.

Seattle would come as close as two, 109-107, when Tom Chambers hit a runner with 45 seconds to go, but Johnson closed out the SuperSonics from the line.

The Lakers shot only 48.7% and turned the ball over 23 times. Byron Scott made just 1 of 9 shots and finished with 3 points, while a foul-plagued James Worthy scored just 14. Even Johnson missed 10 shots (8 of 18).

No matter.

“It was just like last year, as if the playoffs had started all over again,” said Seattle forward Xavier McDaniel, referring to the Lakers’ four-game sweep of the SuperSonics in the Western Conference finals.

“We played them tough, but when we had to make the plays, we didn’t.”

To Johnson, there’s one big difference from a season ago: Green.

“A guy like A.C. is 100% better, and I’m not just saying that to pump him up,” Johnson said. “He’s just so much better, catching the ball, making decisions offensively. He made some big plays tonight.”

Green was just a rookie at the last ring ceremony here, watching his teammates receive their due.

“I like it this way a lot better,” he said. “But I won’t wear it. I’ll leave it at home with my parents.”

Laker Coach Pat Riley has had his fill of ceremonies--not that he doesn’t want to add another ring to his collection a year from now.

“To me, it was a distraction,” he said. “It really was. It was hard to come back from it.”

Come back they did, although the SuperSonics--who got an impressive debut from rookie Derrick McKey (18 points, 4 rebounds)--left a distinct impression they’ll be heard from later.

“They are without a doubt making a statement,” Riley said. “They have improved considerably and they will be one of our toughest concerns through the season.”

Laker Notes

Tom Chambers led Seattle with 20 points, but only 10 after the first quarter. Xavier Daniel had 19 and Dale Ellis 18, although Ellis had consecutive jumpers blocked by Michael Cooper and James Worthy. Even though Cooper was giving away three inches to 6-foot 10-inch rookie Derrick McKey, Laker Coach Pat Riley said he thought Cooper did the best job on McKey defensively. McKey was too quick for both Kurt Rambis and A.C. Green. . . . Mychal Thompson had 17 points off the bench, many of them coming on simple pick-and-roll plays executed with Johnson. “You get a player who’s smart (like Thompson) and a man who can deliver (Johnson), all you have to do is get open,” Johnson said.