NBA PLAYOFFS : Lakers’ Celtic Imitation Has Trail Blazers Reeling : Western Conference finals: Ainge cites memories of his former club while his teammates ponder being down, 3-1, entering tonight’s Game 5.

In this vale of raindrops and tears, the Portland Trail Blazers are back, trying with their numb fans to answer one little question:

What happened?

Until Friday, this was an even series.

Until Sunday they were regarded as the NBA’s best team.

Suddenly the Lakers lead the Western Conference finals, 3-1, and will try to end it in tonight’s Game 5.

Where have you gone, Blazermania? Oregon turns its lonely eyes to you.

“We opened Pandora’s Box when we lost Game 1,” Buck Williams said.

“The first thing you want to do is take care of the first two games at home. We opened ourselves up to this. If we’d won the first game like we should have, 12 points up starting the fourth quarter, the series would be tied now.

“ If . . . .

“If I was 5-9, maybe I wouldn’t be playing in the NBA.”

Monday’s Trail Blazer buzzwords were “move the ball,” reflecting Coach Rick Adelman’s search for a way to restore his offense and the momentum of a 63-victory season.

“What” and “why” may be arguable, but “when” is iron-clad.

Portland, still looking dangerous, still beating the Lakers to every loose ball, snapped in Friday’s third quarter during that 12-0 Laker run that broke the game open and continued through Sunday.

From the moment Vlade Divac blocked Jerome Kersey’s shot Friday to kick off the fireworks, to Magic Johnson’s exit Sunday, the Lakers outscored the Trail Blazers, 168-126.

“I think,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said Monday, “everything has to do with confidence.”

Said Williams: “I wouldn’t say we panicked. We were just a little impatient. We wanted to get all the points back at once.”

The Lakers are now supremely confident, efficient and smart as only a team of their experience can be. Conceding a physical advantage to the Trail Blazers--”Without a doubt they have more talent than we do,” Johnson said--the Lakers made up for it in organization and execution.

In that, they resemble the mid-1980s Boston teams, which gave up the old Celtic fast break but made up for it with their heads.

Ask a former Celtic.

“There are a lot of similarities in the style of game,” Danny Ainge said. “It’s post-up and space the floor, and if you take this away, we’ll beat you with three-pointers. And if you take that away, we’ll beat you in the low post.

“The Lakers are smart. They have veteran players, and when the ball goes in to (James) Worthy and Magic, they know what’s going to happen.

“They react to the defense. If the defense does this, boom, they do that. It’s very easy, fundamental basketball. But the key is to have the guys who can score and demand double-teams down in the low post. If you don’t have a (Larry) Bird or a (Kevin) McHale, or if you don’t have a Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), a Magic or a Worthy, then it’s not going to work.

“Magic and Larry can score at will in the low post, and whoever is guarding them, they can create problems. They can find the open men, no matter where they are. That’s what makes them so great. And they’re very willing to find the open men.

“You put the ball in their hands, and then people do their jobs.”

That’s how the series has gone. Johnson has 61 assists and those Magic-buster fans a radio station distributed here for Game 2--with the aid of 100 Girl Scout volunteers--could become collectors’ items.

“Beat L.A.” signs are still up here, and “Rip City” garb is everywhere.

However, a columnist for the Oregonian, Steve Duin, says the locals are “aghast” and are reassessing history: Was last year’s trip to the finals an anomaly? Isn’t this familiar disappointment more what they should expect?

Duin thinks the disappointment of this series may even hurt the team’s plans to build a new arena.

The Lakers don’t want to inflict such pain.

They just want to put this place in their rear-view mirror.

Playoff Notes

Rick Adelman on the problem with his offense: “We haven’t moved the ball. Most possessions in Sunday’s first half, we only passed once or twice. You can’t do that against a team that’s locking in on you. You haven’t moved anybody. Hopefully, we still have time to do it.” . . . They wouldn’t be Trail Blazers if they weren’t complaining about officiating. The NBA’s technical foul leaders say Mike Dunleavy set the officials on them by complaining about physical play in Games 1 and 2. . . . Kevin Duckworth was particularly incensed at Jack Madden’s second-quarter call Sunday for pushing Vlade Divac in the low post. “I just brushed him,” Duckworth said Monday. “I might as well have kissed him, because he (Madden) would have called a foul on that, too.” . . . That was Duckworth’s fourth foul. At that point the Lakers already led, 54-37.