Lakers Put End to the Perfection of Pacers, 117-94

Vlade Divac did not need the question translated into Serbo-Croatian, his native language. He listened intently, head bowed and big body leaning backward, before answering slowly and carefully in halting English.

It was, after all, a delicate matter.

Should Divac, the rookie center from Yugoslavia, replace Mychal Thompson in the Lakers’ starting lineup? After all, Divac had scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots as the Lakers defeated the previously unbeaten Indiana Pacers, 117-94, Wednesday night before 16,226 at the Forum.

“Me in first five?” Divac asked by way of clarification. “Mychal (Thompson) is a good player. Mychal good defensive player. To me, (it is the) same. In Europe, I play first five. Here, I come off bench. For me, no problem.”

Divac, a star in Europe, has had few problems fitting into the Lakers’ scheme to become a player of substance just seven games into his NBA career.

Wednesday night, Divac helped the Lakers (6-1) fight back from a sluggish first quarter against he vastly improved Pacers (4-1) to take a 51-49 halftime lead. Then, after the Lakers’ regained control with a dazzling third quarter surge, Divac made sure they did not lose the lead. He scored eight points and had nine rebounds in the fourth quarter and endeared himself further to the crowd by flinging his 7-foot-1 body on the floor for loose balls.

“Vlade gave us something we haven’t had before,” Magic Johnson said. “He’s a big man who can do a lot of different things. Shoot. Dribble. Block shots. Run the floor. Tonight, he did it all. If you put them all together, you’ve got a real player. He knows how to play the game.”

His teammates do, too. After a sluggish first half, in which they shot 38.4% and led by only two points, the Lakers outscored Indiana, 32-19, in the third quarter and then coasted to their most lopsided victory of the season.

Defense and balanced scoring won it. A.C. Green led the Lakers with 24 points and 16 rebounds, tying season highs in both categories. James Worthy had 20 points and surpassed 10,000 points for his career. Magic Johnson and Byron Scott each had 19 points, Johnson adding 11 assists.

Divac reached season highs in points and rebounds and tied his high for minutes played with 20.

“I marvel at Vlade every game,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said. “Tonight, it was his hustle, his willingness to get on the floor. He’s really coming as a player.”

But when asked whether or not Divac should start and Thompson return to his more natural role as a reserve, all Laker parties seemingly like the status quo.

Divac says he accepts his role. Riley says the Lakers need his spark off the bench. Several Laker players say they are more comfortable with Thompson’s experience at the start of games.

Said Johnson, who scored 12 of his 19 points in the Lakers’ second-half surge: “Vlade is better off the bench. Mychal T. gives us a little something at the start of the game, and Vlade gives us something off the bench.”

Said Worthy: “He could definitely start, for us or any team. But I think he’s more confident coming off the bench. We got the best of both worlds right now.”

Divac, playing an average of 15.6 minutes, has averaged 6.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Thompson, playing 28.4 minutes per game, has averaged nine points and 6.7 rebounds.

Riley has factored in intangibles, such as the Lakers’ 6-1 record under the current arrangement and the spark Divac gives off the bench, and has decided to keep the lineup as is.

“If you can get that (from Divac) off the bench, it’s great,” Riley said. “It isn’t important whether he starts. It’s the bottom line. He’s going to get the minutes. I wouldn’t want to (pressure) him. That’s the worst thing to do right now.”

Though 7-1, Divac is not the most physical of centers. He has shown he can hold his own against bulky big men as Dallas’ James Donaldson and taller players such as the Pacers’ 7-4 Rik Smits. But, much of the time, Divac has played against backup centers or power forwards.

“We wouldn’t want him going against Akeem (Olajuwon), (Patrick) Ewing or (Mark) Eaton at the start of a game,” said Riley, who also pointed out that Divac is averaging more than four fouls per game. “I think his fouls are well deserved, because they are aggressive. But he’s still learning. We have to remember that.”

Laker Notes

James Worthy needed 559 games to reach 10,000 points. He reached the mark with 2:13 to play in the first half, when he sank a short jump shot. “I don’t think of it as a major thing,” Worthy said. “But it is an accomplishment. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to have an annual holiday to remember it.” . . . Charles Grantham, executive director of the NBA’s players’ assn., spoke with Laker players after practice Tuesday. “We basically talked about the new TV contract (with NBC for $600,000 over four years),” and the 53% we’ll receive,” said guard Byron Scott, the Lakers’ player representative. “He said the salary cap probably will be between $12 million and $12.5 million next year, which is great for salaries. It’s getting better and better. The cap, as they planned, is growing year-by-year.” . . .Laker forward Michael Cooper needed a small bandage on the left side of his forehead after colliding with one of Mychal Thompson’s front teeth. No stitches were required. “He bit me,” Cooper said. “He tried to eat me alive.”