Now Lakers Don’t Have to Run for Cover, 109-88 : NBA playoffs: Pep talk by Riley, move to straight-up defense bear fruit as Los Angeles wins playoff series.

The Lakers had not been themselves for days. Gone was their usual swagger, replaced by what their coach termed doubt and apprehension. They had altered their successful style and actually started fretting about first-round playoff games--all very out-of-character.

What the Lakers had, or so Coach Pat Riley surmised, was a brief identity crisis. It can happen to the best of teams, and it apparently crept into the Lakers’ consciousness during their unexpected first-round struggle against the Houston Rockets.

But Thursday night, in Game 4 at the Summit, the Lakers regained their sense of self after a pregame therapy session. They went back to their basic game plan of playoffs past and eliminated the Rockets, 109-88, to advance to the Western Conference semifinals against either Phoenix or Utah.

The Lakers disposed of Houston, the only Western Conference team to eliminate them in the playoffs in the 1980s, by returning to a standard defensive alignment after double- and triple-teaming Akeem Olajuwon in the first three games. They also responded with a scoring binge in the fourth quarter, the lack of which was their downfall in Game 3.

Perhaps most important, Laker players underwent an attitude adjustment before tipoff. Riley is paid $20,000 per motivational talk by Corporate America. This one was part of his Laker job description.

“Coach Riley gave us a little talk before the game,” Magic Johnson said. “We were so worried about them, them, them. We thought about them so much, we forgot about ourselves. So, we just wanted to play Laker basketball.”

Some shock certainly was needed since, as forward Orlando Woolridge said, “Sometimes even we lose confidence.”

Despite having a 2-1 lead in the series, the Lakers had trailed at halftime in every game. Rocket guards Sleepy Floyd and Vernon Maxwell had exploited the Lakers’ double-teaming of Olajuwon and had outplayed Johnson and Byron Scott. And, despite Rocket Coach Don Chaney’s brash “guarantee” that his team would win two consecutive games at home, the Lakers hardly seemed inspired in Game 3.

“Even for a championship team--and we are a championship team from the ‘80s--you can lose a game, and there (are) some apprehension and doubts,” Riley said. “When we got to the game tonight, I talked to them and reminded them who we are.

“I hadn’t seen that (confidence). When we’re ourselves, the (players) have a chant where they say, ‘Whose show? Lakers’ show.’ I hadn’t heard that in three days. In fact, I think the security at our hotel was wondering who was in Room 1702, because I was up there chanting ‘Whose show? Laker show.’ ”

Unquestionably, Game 4 was the Lakers’ show. They started fast--for a change--maintained the lead through many Rocket runs and dominated the fourth quarter.

The Lakers never trailed. The closest Houston came in the fourth quarter was 82-81 with 9:26 to play. Five minutes later, the Lakers led, 97-85. About two minutes after that, the lead was 103-86.

“We had to get back to having fun, playing our game and letting it come naturally,” said forward James Worthy, who scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. “That’s the way the Lakers play.”

Riley’s pep talk may have received more attention, but his decision to abandon the trapping defense on Olajuwon proved a rallying point for the players--especially Johnson and Scott.

They were tired of scurrying across court to help Mychal Thompson and Vlade Divac defend Olajuwon, then scrambling back to contest jump shots by Floyd and Maxwell. The plan helped limit Olajuwon, who averaged only 16 points coming into Game 4, but the Rocket guards had outscored Laker guards, 132-97.

With their responsibilities stripped to guarding only one player each, Scott and Johnson were dominant Thursday.

Floyd and Maxwell combined to make only seven of 27 shots and 21 points. Johnson, double-teamed again by the Rockets’ defense, had 19 points and eight assists. Scott, in his best game of the series, had 15 points and five steals.

“Both Byron and I were excited when we heard,” Johnson said of the change of defensive strategy. “You don’t have to double(-team) and rotate and go all over the court. We weren’t scrambling all game and trying to find them (Rocket guards) while they’re sitting and waiting to shoot.

“We were gonna let them go in to Akeem. If he got 100 points, then fine. We cut off their guards. We played them straight up and they didn’t get those shots.”

Olajuwon fell 72 points short of 100. But the Rocket center did have his best game of the series, with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Fears of a monster game by Olajuwon were unfounded. Thompson and Divac--especially in the fourth quarter--prevented Olajuwon from dominating.

“If he was (going to dominate), then we would’ve made another adjustment,” Riley said.

Laker players were satisfied with Riley’s first adjustment of playing the Rockets straight up. Simplicity won out.

“I was real happy to see that,” Scott said. “This way, it was just me and Sleepy, Magic and Maxwell. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. You take your man. I’ll take mine.”

By the same token, Thompson was not at all put off by having to fend for himself against one of the league’s best centers.

“Byron and Magic had been too busy doubling Akeem to guard their guys, so tonight we figured to let everyone guard their own guy,” Thompson said. “If Akeem had scored 50 tonight on Vlade and me, who cares if we would’ve won? But (Olajuwon) didn’t do that.”

Riley said Johnson and Scott had something to prove against the Rocket backcourt. Johnson and Scott combined to make 13 of 20 shots. They each had six rebounds.

“We’ve got a championship backcourt, and all they’ve read about here is how they’ve been outplayed,” Riley said. “But that championship backcourt came to play tonight. They made a statement.”

Yes, the Riley-isms were flowing Thursday.

But even he failed to adequately articulate Worthy’s contribution in the series. Worthy had 34 points in Game 1, 32 and the game-altering steal and dunk in Game 2 and 26 in Game 3.

The Laker scoring was divided in Game 4--seven players reached double figures, including Divac’s 18 in a reserve role--but Worthy took control in the fourth quarter.

In a three-minute stretch midway through the quarter, Worthy scored eight of the Lakers’ 11 points. Two baskets came off turnaround jump shots, another on an inside move after a pass from Johnson and the other on an open jump shot.

“James came through,” Riley said.

So, too, did the Lakers.

And, they did it in Game 4 with standard efficiency and dominance. No more defensive gimmicks. No more fretting about the Rocket guards or Houston’s double-team on Johnson. This time, the Rockets had to adapt to the Laker moves, instead of dictating the action.

It also pleased Riley to note that, as soon as the Lakers hit the locker room afterward, Woolridge led teammates in that chant their coach had waited so long to hear.

Thursday night was the Lakers’ show.

Laker Notes

After falling behind by 13, 19 and 12 points in the first halves of the first three games, the Lakers took nine-point leads twice in Game 4. Houston made only two of its first 18 shots. “The first three games we were in each game in the first three quarters,” Rocket Coach Don Chaney said. “Tonight, we struggled and couldn’t hit our shots. That haunted us.” . . . The Lakers shot 61.1%, their best shooting effort of the series. The Rockets shot 42%. . . . Houston held the rebounding advantage, 42-38. The Rockets outrebounded the Lakers in three games. . . . Vlade Divac played his best game of the series. Divac made seven of eight shots and had six rebounds. He played the entire fourth quarter in place of starter Mychal Thompson.