NBA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : Lightning Strikes Twice: Lakers Say They’re Not Out

At this point, the Lakers are wounded bears with a guy named Murphy and his law having crept onto the roster. Being underdogs to win a third consecutive National Basketball Assn. title also fits in there somewhere.

They are down in the best-of-seven championship series to the Detroit Pistons, 2-0. They have been without Byron Scott both games, and Thursday night, in an eventual 108-105 loss at the Palace of Auburn Hills, they lost Magic Johnson for the final 16:39.

But they are not panicking.

“I think they know exactly where they are and what the condition is,” Coach Pat Riley said of his players. “But I’ve said it before, a wounded bear is a dangerous thing.”

In other words, someone suggested, all this means is that the Lakers will have to come back to Michigan.

Yeah, one cynic shot back, for the victory parade.

That would be the Pistons’ victory parade.

The Lakers are having nothing of such talk. Down in games, they’re not down emotionally. Pushing the Pistons for the entire fourth quarter, with Scott and Johnson both out, was an indication of that.

“Frustration is not the word,” A.C. Green said. “Obviously, we’re down, 2-0, and we have to win. But how many games do we have left? Five. We can win four of the five, and that is possible. We’re down, but we’re not out.

“We’ve been through too much this year and the past years to lie down. We have too much heart and too much character.”

What they don’t have is their starting backcourt. Scott said he doesn’t know if he will play Sunday afternoon, when Game 3 will be played at the Forum, and Johnson will not be examined until before the game. If it were today, Scott would not be able to play because of the partially torn left hamstring.

“When Byron was injured, I sort of think that was a bigger blow,” said Tony Campbell, who has received a windfall of playing time because of the recent events. “Lightning hit once and hit again, so it’s more just like, ‘Yes, it did happen.’ Lightning struck again. What else can go wrong? It’s like Murphy’s Law or something.

“Emotionally, it will feel good to go home. We have three games there, so we can come back to Detroit 3-2. We’re focused enough to believe we can really do that.”

The Pistons have the big picture, too. They’re sorry to see Magic get hurt, but hey . . .

“I’m sorry a fellow basketball player got injured,” Detroit forward John Salley said, “but take no prisoners.”

Except that hobbling convict is a close friend. Pistons Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre, who exchanged the obligatory pregame kiss with Johnson, were sorry to see it happen, perhaps more so than the rest of the Detroit players. They know how much it would hurt Magic, emotionally as well as physically, to sit out a game during the NBA Finals, especially with his team down.

Emotions have a place, after all.

Maybe just not at this time.

“That’s something we can’t think about,” said Thomas, who had 21 points and seven assists. “We have to do what we can when we can. We can’t try to figure out all the circumstances. But they didn’t care about beating us when we were weak (in last season’s finals, when Thomas and Rick Mahorn were both playing hurt).”

Added Aguirre: “It’s part of the game. I just hope and pray he gets well. We still have to play, and he (Johnson) understands that. Our friendship is bigger than any game.”

And now, if Johnson and Scott are still sidelined Sunday, the Lakers will see how big they can play. There will be a lot of shoes to fill for just two players.

Leave it to the Lakers to try to take it in stride.

Asked if today’s flight home will be any different than hundreds in the past because of circumstances, Campbell said: “The plane ride will be another plane ride.”