An Ice-Cold Magic Heats Up in Time to Pace Laker Win

Always doing the unexpected, Magic Johnson delivered again Saturday night. Only this time, the Laker guard had heads shaking in disbelief and statisticians double-checking their figures over a most uncommon occurrence.

He missed 10 shots in a row.

This blizzard of cold shooting began late in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 112-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers, when Johnson missed his last 3 shots. Then, in a freeze-dried third quarter, Johnson missed 7 straight shots of every variety.

Set shots? Clang .

Junior skyhooks? Not close.

Drives through the lane? Off target.

Finally, the thaw began. Johnson sank his first shot of the second half, a hook from 7 feet with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter. This was the quarter during which the Lakers’ 17-point halftime lead dwindled to a 1-point advantage. But when it mattered, Johnson once more hoisted the Lakers (15-3) on his back and lifted them to victory in the opener of a 7-game trip.

But during such a poor-shooting stretch, didn’t Johnson think about giving up his role as the main offensive provider, if only for one night?

“No, I can’t stop now,” Johnson said. “No way. Maybe in my first 6 or 7 years, I might have. Now, it goes up, up, up. I might miss 20 in a row some time.”

Good thing he didn’t stop. Johnson, who made 9 of 25 shots, gave the Lakers the lead for good in the fourth quarter, 100-99, with 3:40 to play. Then he scored the Lakers’ next 8 points to put it away.

Along the way, Johnson turned in another triple-double performance, his fifth of the season and the 100th of his 9-season career. His 32 points (aided by 14 of 14 from the free-throw line), 11 rebounds and 13 assists did not astound teammates nearly as much as that profound cold spell.

“He missed 10 in a row?” Michael Cooper asked. “You serious? Well, all the big shots he’s made in the past will make up for that.”

Pat Riley, the Laker coach, was equally taken aback by that statistic.

“Did he really miss 10 in a row?,” Riley asked. “I like it that his attitude is to keep shooting until he gets it back. That’s what we need from Earvin.”

Had this been almost any other player, a comfortable spot on the bench would be waiting after such a streak. Or maybe a suggestion by Riley to give it a rest.

But Johnson’s role with the Lakers has evolved to the point that no one blinks when he asserts himself offensively. With an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar--he did not play again Saturday because of a bruised right knee--the Lakers need Johnson’s scoring as much as his passing and ballhandling.

Johnson was more amused than disheartened when talking about his 10 straight misses. Maybe that was because, as he kept repeating, “as long as we win . . . “ The Lakers did that, winning their seventh straight and sixth without Abdul-Jabbar.

“As long as the hook and set shot went in when it did, you don’t worry about what happened before,” Johnson said.

After all these years, it seems, Johnson has developed a shooter’s conscience: keep shooting no matter the results.

“The last 2 years have helped me change my mind-set,” Johnson said. “I’ve been more involved in the (scoring). Tonight, I had to keep shooting. You begin to get a little down, but my teammates got me back up.”

Despite scoring 10 of the Lakers’ last 14 points, Johnson did not single-handedly turn back the Pacers, who had won 2 straight. James Worthy augmented Johnson’s production by scoring 24 points, including 10 of 10 from the free-throw line, where the Lakers made 38 of 40, including all 22 in the first half. Byron Scott added 20 points.

As important as Scott’s 8-of-11 shooting was his pep talk with Johnson during the depths of his shooting slump.

“During that run, he was aiming the ball and hoped it would go in,” said Scott, who has been a streaky shooter himself this season. “You could see the dejection on his face. After a while, he was losing confidence. So, I just told him, ‘You’re aiming it.’ He wasn’t following through.”

After a few adjustments, Johnson and the Lakers were able to follow through on their pledge to win as many games as possible during Abdul-Jabbar’s farewell tour.

This one was not easy. The Pacers (4-14) saw to that.

Booed by a Market Square Arena crowd of 16,912 after being outscored, 22-4, in the last 5:35 of the first half, the Pacers took advantage of the Lakers’ cold shooting and gained the lead, 76-75, late in the third quarter.

Led by rookie center Rik Smits and veteran guard Vern Fleming, who combined for 17 of the Pacers’ 30 third-quarter points, the Pacers entertained upset hopes. Fleming finished with 21 points, Chuck Person had 18 and 9 rebounds and Smits added 13 points.

The Pacers’ defensive strategy during that stretch was risky but effective. They gave the Lakers outside shots and denied drives to the basket. It resulted in a 14-point Laker quarter, their lowest quarter of the season.

“Of those 10 (shots that Johnson) missed, I bet 7 of them were, like, wide open,” Riley said. “We were enticed by the open jumpers. We’re a good team when we shoot the jumpers. But we’re a great team when we take it to the basket.”

Judging from their 47.4% shooting, the Lakers fell into that “good” category Saturday night. They also had 21 turnovers, Johnson and Scott combining for 13.

But despite all the startling poor statistics, the Lakers persevered. That fact made it possible for Johnson to even laugh off his shooting problems.

“Ten missed shots? That’s a first for me,” he said. “But we won. That’s the main thing.” Laker Notes

The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar farewell tour resumed. The Indiana Pacers honored the 41-year-old center in a 10-minute ceremony. He was given a key to the city of Indianapolis by deputy mayor Joseph Slash. T-shirts bearing Abdul-Jabbar’s likeness were sold at Market Square Arena, proceeds going to charity. The Pacers also presented Abdul-Jabbar with a saxophone and a flute, although Abdul-Jabbar plays neither instrument, and a portrait by a local artist. Since he was injured and did not play, Abdul-Jabbar promised the crowd a farewell skyhook. In street clothes, Abdul-Jabbar set up in the low post, took a pass from Magic Johnson and made the shot. . . . Magic Johnson strained his neck when scrambling for a loose ball in the fourth quarter. He continued to play and received treatment afterward. It is not expected to limit his playing time tonight in Milwaukee. . . .Rookie David Rivers, whose brother, Jermaine, died Thursday, is in Jersey City, N.J., for the funeral. The Lakers said the earliest Rivers is expected to rejoin the club is Tuesday in Cleveland.