Apple of Lakers’ Eyes, Kareem Gets Gift From Magic and Co., 110-98

His mother, Cora Alcindor, cried when New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, who is 15 years younger than her son, handed her a bouquet of roses. His father, Al Alcindor, who had taken him to the rodeo at the old Madison Square Garden when he was 5, took pictures with an Instamatic.

There were teammates from high school and a coach from grade school. Magic Johnson reached over and gently wiped off the lint of a towel from his cheek, and then all the Lakers stood and formed a high-fiving tunnel of love, through which Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passed to say goodby to his hometown.

He dropped his gum on the way, and later claimed he forgot what he wanted to say, but as he stood at center court at halftime Tuesday night in the Garden, surrounded by 19,591 fans who were on their feet as well, Abdul-Jabbar recalled the words of a James Brown song.

“Maybe this will be the last time we shake hands,

Maybe this will be the last time we make plans,

But whatever happens,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The New York Knicks gave him a sterling silver Big Apple. The Lakers, caught up in the emotion they seldom see from their 41-year-old captain, gave him something less tangible in value but the most fitting gift for the occasion: they gave him a win, 110-98, in his last regular-season appearance in the city that gave birth to the skyhook.

No Laker was more giving than Magic, who picked Kareem’s big night to have his first triple-double of the season: 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists, while his rattled Knick counterpart, Mark Jackson, could counter with just 14 points (on 6-of-22 shooting), 11 assists and 7 turnovers.

Johnson had 11 points in the fourth quarter--7 in a row when the Lakers expanded a 93-92 lead to 100-94, with 2:50 to play--made 4 of his 6 steals, and sent Abdul-Jabbar away for a one-handed slam dunk for the last of his 12 points.

For that reason, it was suggested to Abdul-Jabbar, maybe he’d be willing to share his silver apple with Magic for a while.

“He played a great game, didn’t he?” said Abdul-Jabbar, who then broke into a Magic-sized smile. “But no, that’s my apple.”

And his night, one that filled James Worthy and Byron Scott and Magic with almost as much nostalgia as must have enveloped Abdul-Jabbar.

“I’ve been watching and reading all that JFK stuff,” said Worthy, who had a game-high 29 points, 13 in the third quarter while the Knicks rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a brief lead before falling behind, 82-81.

“That’s when I started thinking that this was something very special,” Worthy said, “something you’ll always remember and be glad you were a part of. It was a very touching moment.”

While Abdul-Jabbar often reveals as little to his teammates as he does to the outside world, Worthy said it was impossible not to notice how affected Abdul-Jabbar was.

“You could tell from the start of the game, the way he was playing,” Worthy said. “He had strength, he was very mobile, he was quick, he was active, he showed emotion.

“You could see before the game he was trying to contain himself, but you could tell where his thoughts were going.”

Scott, who scored 14 points and played the last 9 minutes on a sprained right ankle, said his own thoughts were on a similar wavelength.

“You try to detach yourself from it,” Scott said, “but it’s almost impossible if you’ve known the Cap for a while.

“We knew this would be his last time with us at the Garden--everything got to us a little bit.”

What got to Magic, as he watched tribute being paid to Abdul-Jabbar, were thoughts of his own retirement.

“For the first time, seeing it and being here, made me think my own turn is around the corner,” said Johnson, who is still 9 months away from his 30th birthday. “I’m talking about retiring, not a thing (farewell tour) like this.

“I haven’t accomplished what Kareem has, I haven’t been the type of player he has been, I don’t know if I’ll be getting all this, but I thought about it.”

Far from thinking about retirement, Johnson should be thinking about another most valuable player award, according to Laker Coach Pat Riley. He took over Tuesday’s game just as he has in virtually all seven of the Lakers’ victories.

When Jackson’s reverse layup pulled the Knicks to within 93-92, Magic blew past Jackson on a drive for a layup and a 3-point lead. Abdul-Jabbar missed a skyhook, but Johnson was there for the rebound, was clobbered by Charles Oakley, and made both free throws.

It was 98-94 when Johnson stripped the ball from Jackson again and thundered past Trent Tucker for another driving basket. The Lakers opened a 10-point lead when Magic pulled down a defensive rebound, dribbled down court and spun away from Tucker again.

For good measure, he later flipped an underhand 20-footer that swished through the basket. It didn’t count--he was fouled before the play, just as he was before his nonchalant 20-foot scoop shot to start the night went in.

“I was hoping that maybe it would be that kind of night,” he said. “I thought, ‘Maybe, I’m on.’ ”

Abdul-Jabbar, who had gone 6 games without breaking double figures in scoring, left little doubt that he was.

“The big guy played good--I thought it was his best game,” Johnson said. “He played good on both ends of the court, and I thought he set the tone early by hitting his hooks.”

Riley said Abdul-Jabbar’s talk of being phased out is premature.

“He’s always approached everything dispassionately, but this one got to him a little bit,” said Riley, who joined Abdul-Jabbar at midcourt for the ceremony. “But on the court, he just pulled down the shade and played.

” . . . He said it looks like he’s being phased out, but I’ve never talked to him about that. We expect him to still be a mainstay. We want him to work for the ball, to demand the ball.”

Tuesday night, Abdul-Jabbar got more than the ball. He got a lifetime of memories.

“Kareem’s got to enjoy this,” Riley said, thinking of how variations of this scene are still to be played out in 24 other cities, including Los Angeles. “He can’t go through this like it’s drudgery. We want him to approach it with a sense of joy.”

On Tuesday night, Abdul-Jabbar expressed that joy with smiles and waves as he faced each section of the Garden, pointing in gratitude for the ovation that washed over him.

“I think what the fans expressed was genuine,” he said. “Having lived here, I know they don’t give you anything unless you earn it.

“I guess I earned it.”

Laker Notes

Laker guard Michael Cooper did not come to New York, but had plans to fly to Miami to join the team in time for tonight’s game against the Heat. Cooper has a strained muscle in his lower back. Asked whether he figures Cooper plans to play tonight, Laker Coach Pat Riley said: “We’ll find out. He’s been driving everybody crazy in L.A.” . . . The Knicks came into the game as the second-highest scoring team in the NBA, averaging 121.6 points. This was the first time this season that they have been held under 100. They shot just 41.9% from the floor and made just 3 of 16 3-point attempts, after making 24 3-pointers in their last 3 games. “We played awful basketball,” Knick Coach Rick Pitino said. “We didn’t do anything right tonight, but we’re a young team and we still have to get our lumps to realize that we’re not going to go out and win every night. We’re not in a class with a team like L.A. yet.” . . . The Knicks had 20 turnovers. . . . A.C. Green had 10 of his 19 points, which matched his season high, in the first quarter. Green also had 8 rebounds, 6 on the offensive boards. . . . Orlando Woolridge went without a basket (0 for 5) for the second time in the last 3 games and is just 1 for 17 from the floor in that time. Mychal Thompson had just 3 points, coming off a 2-point performance against Portland last Friday. . . . Byron Scott said he sprained his ankle by stepping on Thompson’s foot during a third-quarter fast break but expects to play tonight. Instead of filling the left lane on a 3-on-1 fast break, Scott said, Thompson was right behind him. “I told him, ‘You’re a dummy,’ ” Scott said. “There’s no way you should be behind me.’ ”