A Victory--Guaranteed : Pro basketball: No, it isn’t Pat Riley. It’s Don Chaney, whose Rockets are down 0-2 and have the Lakers right where they want them.

Coaches have been known to make brash predictions for motivational purposes when circumstances call for something drastic. Sometimes, the bleaker the situation, the wilder the claim.

Don Chaney, whose Houston Rockets are a loss away from elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs, has borrowed an old motivational gimmick from Laker Coach Pat Riley, guaranteeing the Rockets will beat the Lakers tonight in Game 3 and Game 4 on Thursday.

“We definitely will win both games at home,” Chaney told the Houston Chronicle Sunday, after the Rockets had lost their second consecutive game in the best-of-five series. “I guarantee it. There’s no doubt about it.

“I don’t really think the pressure is on us. I think the pressure is on them because we’re going home to a place where we’re comfortable and we know we can win. They still have to get one more win, and I think it’s going to comedown to the last game in L.A.(Game 5).”

Monday, while the Lakers watched videotape not 50 feet away in the visitors’ locker room at the Summit, Chaney softened his words a little but still predicted two Rocket victories.

“Oh, did I use guarantee? Maybe it was a slip of the tongue,” Chaney said, laughing. “Of course, we all know nothing is guaranteed. But that gives you an idea of how positive we are. We know we can win in our building. . . . It should be two very good games, with us getting two wins. Then, in a Game 5 situation, anything can happen.

“(The Lakers) will have to come in and take a win on the road. That’s what I mean by pressure. I don’t think the confidence level is as high. I’m not slighting the Lakers at all. But what I was saying is the pressure is not on who people think it’s on.”

Riley said he interpreted Chaney’s remarks as more of a challenge to the Rockets than a knock on the Lakers.

“I think sometimes you have to put some pressure on your players like that,” Riley said. “When you’re a pro, sometimes you lay it on the line. It’s like the Rockets are saying, ‘We’re at home now. We’re going to tell (the Lakers) exactly what we’re gonna do.’ Don’s a class guy. I know he wasn’t slighting the Lakers.”

Laker players did not react angrily. Mychal Thompson, who deals in hyperbole daily, applauded Chaney’s effort.

“I like that kind of spunk in a coach,” Thompson said. “I like that (Chaney) has his team so positive. Of course, I don’t agree with what he said, but . . . “

Said Magic Johnson: “That’s up to (Chaney) to say. He’s trying to get his team going. We’ll see what happens. We feel confident coming in here.”

Actually, Chaney’s optimism is not without foundation.

Twice during the regular season, the Lakers were beaten badly by the Rockets at the Summit. On Nov. 28, the Lakers trailed by 15 points at halftime and lost by six. On March 6, they were blown out, 112-95, but played without guard Byron Scott.

In the playoff opener Friday night, the Rockets led by 13 points in the first half, but the Lakers won by 11. In Game 2 on Sunday, Houston led by as many as 19 points--17 at halftime--but the Lakers again fought back to win, 104-100.

Although the Laker comebacks might have been extraordinary, their overall play has been ordinary.

The Rockets have stayed competitive despite only 24 points in two games by center Akeem Olajuwon. They have done it with Vernon Maxwell’s bump-and-grind defense on Magic Johnson and strong offensive production from Maxwell and guard Sleepy Floyd and forwards Otis Thorpe and Buck Johnson.

But the Lakers have won, thanks largely to massive offensive doses of James Worthy, who has averaged 33 points and made 69% of his shots. In addition, Johnson has averaged 20 points and 14 assists, despite Maxwell’s defense, and there has been strong defensive post play from Thompson and Vlade Divac.

Riley said he is not disappointed with the Lakers’ play. He is slightly concerned about falling behind early, but he credits the Rockets, rather than blaming the Lakers.

“It’s not going to be easy for us or anybody,” Riley said. “I think the feeling that--because the Rockets were 20 games worse than us in the regular season, that’s irrelevant. We’ve learned at this time of year it’s 48 minutes to win.”

Laker Notes

Rocket Coach Don Chaney used taller, slower Otis Thorpe in place of Buck Johnson on James Worthy in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game. It slowed Worthy’s offensive production somewhat. Chaney said he might have Thorpe guard Worthy at strategic junctures in tonight’s game. “We have not conquered James Worthy yet,” Chaney said. “To be honest with you, no, I didn’t think he was this good. But in the playoffs, he just gets better. He’s been the key factor.”

A segment of CBS’s halftime show on Sunday featured an interview with Akeem Olajuwon in which the Rocket center said he wants to win a championship either in Houston or elsewhere and suggested a trade might be best. The interview, it turned out, was taped two months ago, after Olajuwon had first made a trade request in the local newspapers. CBS, however, did not mention that it was an old interview.

“It was old, very old,” Olajuwon said. “It is all in the past.” Still, the interview prompted interest among Rocket and Laker players Sunday. Said Magic Johnson: “If (the Rockets) don’t want him, tell them to ship him over here, any time, any day. Matter of fact, if they do, I’d play 10 more years. That’s a guarantee.”