Kareem Getting Down to Business of Winning

Left alone with his thoughts and the basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar apparently is still capable of playing at a level from which many believed he had permanently fallen in his final National Basketball Assn. season.

No longer required to provide personal insights during the public spectacle that was his farewell tour, and no longer warranting double coverage when receiving the ball, Abdul-Jabbar returned as an effective offensive weapon in the Lakers’ first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring average of 15.3 points a game in the opening round was 5.2 higher than during the regular season. His six-rebound average was an improvement of 1.5 a game. His verve and vitality made it seem, as Portland guard Clyde Drexler observed, that Abdul-Jabbar occasionally played as if he were 22, not 42.

Now that Abdul-Jabbar has once again proved an offensive threat, he will no doubt draw more attention from the Seattle SuperSonics, who face the Lakers today at the Forum in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

While Portland concentrated on stopping the Lakers’ outside shooting, the SuperSonics figure to converge inside and make Abdul-Jabbar give up the ball. Thus the Laker center’s role is expected to revert to that of a passer more than a scorer.

“They’ll probably collapse on me, like they play against everyone,” Abdul-Jabbar said after practice Saturday at the Forum. “I just want to be effective and do what needs to be done in my area. I have to make sure I can pass the ball well and find the open guys. They don’t want big men scoring on them inside.”

In that regard, the SuperSonics have been effective in their defensive scheme. In five regular-season games against Seattle, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 4.8 points, shot 48% and averaged five shots.

But that was the regular season. The Lakers don’t expect Abdul-Jabbar to repeat his 22-point performance in last Wednesday night’s series-clinching victory over the Trail Blazers, but they are heartened that Abdul-Jabbar showed he can still score in important games.

“(Laker big men) have to show patience and find the open man,” Coach Pat Riley said. “But I don’t want Kareem to get caught up in that. I still want him to be an offensive player in this series.”

SuperSonic Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said he always has considered Abdul-Jabbar an offensive threat.

“I’m not going to give away my scouting report, but I can tell you that we have the utmost respect for Kareem,” Bickerstaff said. “I’m sure he’s motivated. He wants to end his career with something other than a Rolls-Royce.” Abdul-Jabbar credited two factors for his playoff revitalization--the single coverage in the low post by the Trail Blazers and his single-minded purpose after dealing with the distractions of his farewell tour.

Now that all the goodbys have been said, Abdul-Jabbar has acknowledged that the tour affected his concentration. He appreciated the affection and gifts, but it interfered with his play.

“I don’t have that (anymore),” Abdul-Jabbar said. “It’s very simple now. I don’t have to deal with any ceremonies. I can play now.”

Also, because he had been all but phased out of the Laker offense during the season, most opponents didn’t double-team him in the low post.

“Every time (teams) go against me one-on-one, I try to take the shot, the best shot I can,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 50% in the Portland series. “It’ll help the team if they can rely on me. It’ll open things up.”

Against Seattle, however, Abdul-Jabbar probably will face a one-on-three situation when receiving the ball. The player most often left open when that happens will be power forward A.C. Green, who benefited by averaging 19.8 points (six more than his season average) in six games against the SuperSonics.

“That’s how they play,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “They play everyone that way. They are very physical. They use a lot of guys. Their big men use up a lot of fouls to throw you off.”

If Bickerstaff watched videotape of the Lakers’ three-game sweep of Portland, he surely won’t consider leaving center Alton Lister to fend for himself against Abdul-Jabbar. The Trail Blazers left Abdul-Jabbar alone with a young, strong center, Kevin Duckworth, who was outplayed.

But having the defense collapse on Abdul-Jabbar will mean that outside shooters such as Byron Scott and Magic Johnson will be open on the perimeter or that James Worthy and Green will be left unguarded underneath.

“Let’s face it,” Riley said. “(Abdul-Jabbar) may not have the ability to sustain it (running) up and down the floor, and he might not have the movement like he used to have or the jumping. But if you let him down in the low post and put one guy on him, he doesn’t forget that. That (scoring touch) comes back to him.”

Mychal Thompson, Abdul-Jabbar’s backup, said opponents will be forced to deal with Abdul-Jabbar differently than they did during the regular season.

Thompson said he has noticed an upsurge in Abdul-Jabbar’s competitiveness, as in past playoff series.

“One guy can’t stop Kareem from taking his hook shot, so (teams) shouldn’t do that,” Thompson said. “And now he’s really geared into it, so forget it.

“Kareem’s a clutch player. He did it for us last year against Detroit (in the finals), and there’s no reason why he can’t do it again this year. We aren’t really surprised. Just pleased.”

Actually, doubts might have lingered in the minds of some teammates after a rough regular-season during which Abdul-Jabbar reported to training camp overweight, then suffered an early season injury that hindered his progress and almost forced Riley to bench him.

“His season’s been kind of up and down for him, so nobody really knew what was going to happen,” Johnson said. “But to see him play like he did boosted everyone’s confidence.”

Abdul-Jabbar said he has never lost his confidence. He also said that he doesn’t necessarily feel more inspired during the playoffs.

“It’s not about attitude,” he said.

It’s merely, as everyone knows, that the playoffs are what matter most.

“I think it’s unfair to say he was bored (during the regular season),” Worthy said. “I just think the guy can’t have the same type of regular season he’s had for the past 14 or 10 years. He’s had his energies divided by those ceremonies. He still tried to concentrate as much as he could while it was going on, but it was just too much, I think.”

Added Riley: “I think he got distracted more than anybody else. But I always thought that he’d lift his level of play.”

Ceremonies aside, Abdul-Jabbar almost always has been more productive in the playoffs than during the regular season. Only twice in the last six seasons has Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring average been higher during the regular season than in the playoffs.

“He’s a veteran,” Scott said. “He knows what it takes. This is different than the season. He’s been more into it. But you expect that.”

The only change is in Abdul-Jabbar’s play, not his demeanor.

“I don’t see that much change in Cap,” Riley said. “I really don’t. He’s not coming in and (clapping) or anything. He’s got the same personality . . . but his practice habits and drills are more intense. I think he realizes it works for him.”

Abdul-Jabbar and other Laker big men have been working on combating physical play by opposing centers in the low post under the supervision of assistant coach Bill Bertka.

“Bill’s been working with Kareem the last 10 days on taking the bumps down low,” Riley said. “That (physical play) sometimes takes Kareem out of his rhythm, but I think those drills have helped. Sometimes, even a 20-year veteran forgets some of the little things.”

It is obvious, however, that Abdul-Jabbar has not forgotten how to make the sky hook, how to take advantage of the lack of congestion in the lane and how to reawaken each spring. Laker Notes

The SuperSonics arrived in Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, after beating the Rockets in Houston Friday night, and had a light practice at the Forum. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said he has not had much time to prepare a detailed game plan for the Lakers. “We’re probably going to have to wing a lot of things in the first game,” Bickerstaff said. “But I don’t know how (his players) are going to react. We’ve never been in this position before with this group. It’s going to be tough, because we’re playing probably the best playoff team in basketball. Look at the collective playoff experience they have.”. . . Since early April, when forward Xavier McDaniel replaced Michael Cage in Seattle’s starting lineup, the SuperSonics went 8-2 in the regular season and 3-1 in the playoffs. McDaniel averaged 30.5 points in the final 10 games, but only 17 in the playoff series against the Rockets. “X (McDaniel) gives us a lift right away, and Michael is starting to make the adjustment and is playing well off the bench,” Bickerstaff said.

Laker Coach Pat Riley said the Lakers’ main objective is to control McDaniel and prolific guard Dale Ellis. McDaniel averaged 18.7 points against the Lakers this season; Ellis 28.3. “We can’t give them open shots,” Riley said. “We have to play them tough and make them drive to the basket and work for their shots.” Added forward James Worthy: “They are the keys to their club. When they get going, it opens up things for guys like (Derrick) McKey and (Sedale) Threatt.”. . . Ellis, who suffered a broken nose during Game 2 of the opening round, will no longer wear a protective mask.

Although the Lakers swept the SuperSonics in the Western Conference finals two seasons ago, the SuperSonics say they are not fearful of a repeat. “We’re a different team, and they are a different team,” SuperSonics forward Russ Schoene said. “I’d be very surprised to be swept this year. Not that they’re not capable of doing it, but we’re better prepared. We’re ready and we could sneak in a win down here.”. . . Because Game 2 is not scheduled until Wednesday night, Bickerstaff said the SuperSonics will return to Seattle tonight and fly to Los Angeles Tuesday night. “Otherwise, it would be like one of those six- or eight-day road trips,” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve already been on the road five days.”