Magic Bemoans Making Shot as Lakers Lose

As intense a game as can be produced during the NBA regular season ended here Saturday night in unusual, yet somehow fitting, fashion.

In the final frantic seconds of the Golden State Warriors’ 133-131 victory over the Lakers, Warrior rookie Tim Hardaway was given the thumbs-up sign from Coach Don Nelson for fouling Magic Johnson. Johnson, in turn, was upset for making the second of two free throws with 3.2 seconds to play.

Such was the peculiar nature of the Warriors’ victory, which ended the Lakers’ winning streak at four games and extended Golden State’s home-court winning streak to seven games.

The craziness began with the Lakers trailing, 132-129, and trying for a three-point shot with 7.8 seconds to play.

Johnson found himself with the ball at the top of the three-point circle, but Hardaway fouled him hard, making Johnson’s attempt fall well short with 3.2 seconds left.

It was a smart play, since the Lakers could not tie the score with two free throws. Nelson vigorously motioned his approval. Johnson calmly sank the first shot. On the second shot, however, he intentionally shot it short and then darted from the free throw line to retrieve the ball off the front rim.

The only problem was that the ball bounced off the rim and fell through the basket. Warriors 132, Lakers 131.

“It surprised me how quickly (Johnson) shot it,” the Lakers’ A.C. Green said. “Nobody was really prepared for it . . . but I saw out of the corner of my eye the ball in mid-flight. Earvin was right behind me.”

Said Johnson, still shaking his head about making the second free throw, said: “I couldn’t believe it. A.C. would’ve had the rebound. If that (free throw) comes off the rim, it’s a tie game, because both those guys (Warrior players) were looking down. Both A.C. and I had position. But the (ball) just crawled in. You get upset because, I mean, how many times do you make a free throw when you want to miss?”

When play finally resumed, the Lakers immediately fouled Rod Higgins. The clock showed 2.5 seconds to play, but the referees eventually reset it to 2.9 seconds after Laker complaints. The Lakers, it turned out, probably could have used another tenth of a second or so. Higgins made the first shot for a two-point lead, but missed the second shot.

Green, who had 27 points and 18 rebounds, grabbed the ball and dribbled, launching a shot from three-quarters court before the buzzer sounded. The ball was on line, but five feet short.

The Lakers (22-7) saw their Pacific Division lead reduced to 1 1/2 games over Portland. The Lakers also are barely ahead of San Antonio (21-7) for the best record in the Western Conference.

The Lakers repeatedly took leads, only to see the Warriors (13-17) hack at them and eventually go ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.

The final 44 seconds, which took about 10 minutes to play, simply came down to the Warriors executing better than the Lakers.

Trailing, 128-126, the Lakers had the ball out of bounds under their own basket. A long inbounds pass to James Worthy at the top of the three-point circle--he was the only open Laker--was intercepted by Chris Mullin, who raced the open court before being fouled. He made both free throws, giving the Warriors a four-point lead.

The Lakers did not yield. Byron Scott, who missed his first seven shots Saturday, sank a three-point shot with 30.7 remaining to cut Golden State’s lead to 130-129.

Then it was the Lakers’ turn to become defensive. Hardaway’s jump shot with 11 seconds left missed badly, but the long rebound flew over Green’s head and into the hands of Terry Teagle. Teagle, who led all scorers with 35 points, made both free throws with 7.8 seconds left for a 132-129 Warrior lead.

After the teams swapped timeouts, the Lakers set up for a three-point shot. Cooper had made four three-point baskets, Scott two and Worthy one.

But the Warriors, as per Nelson’s instructions, did not allow the Lakers to attempt an unmolested three-point attempt. Once that option was gone, the Lakers were left forced to go inside.

“You have to play a great game to beat the Lakers, and we played a great game,” Nelson said. “If we are going to beat anyone, everyone (on the Warriors) has to play a good game. But if we’re going to beat the Lakers, we have to have everyone play a great game.”

Teagle made 14 of 22 shots, Mullin had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Lithuanian star Sharunas Marciulionis scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. As a team, the Warriors made 33 of 35 free throw attempts and shot 49.5% from the field.

The Lakers were led by Worthy’s 30 points. Green’s 11 offensive rebounds were a career high. Johnson had 14 points and 16 assists and one more free throw than he cared to have.

“I find no fault with the way our guys played tonight,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said. “Neither team could stop the other. A couple of possessions just made the difference.”

Actually, Riley could find some fault. Asked about Johnson’s free throw, Riley said: “We couldn’t even do anything right there.”

Laker Notes

Magic Johnson declined to comment on his proposed pay-per-view, one-on-one game against Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls on June 25, which is still being negotiated. “When it’s all final, I’ll talk,” Johnson said. . . . The wife of Manute Bol, the Golden State Warriors’ 7-foot-7 center, recently gave birth to a son, Madot. But, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Madot, at 19 1/2 inches, is the shortest among three recent children born to Warrior personnel. The newborn daughter of Warrior guard Winston Garland was 21 inches, and assistant coach Garry St. Jean’s son, born on New Year’s Eve, measured 20 inches.

Warrior Coach Don Nelson, who said last week he would take a year’s sabbatical to coach the U.S. Olympic basketball team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has softened his stance. Nelson said he still wants to coach the Olympic team, but said he would hope not to be forced to miss any time coaching the Warriors. . . . The Lakers and Warriors will not play again until March 9 at the Forum.