Smith Gets Education on Court : Laker bench: The order was to have fun, so Laker reserve does just that and learns how good Michael Jordan really is.

Tony Smith was skillfully handling all the reporters’ questions in the Laker locker room after Wednesday’s Game 5 of the NBA finals at the Forum.

Until he was asked if he could remember the last time he played.

He sat down for a moment and looked quizzically at his questioner.

“No, no,” he said Wednesday night after the Lakers were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls, four games to one. “I have no idea.”

That is because Smith, a rookie from Marquette University, has not been heard from much during the playoffs. For that matter, Smith has not exactly strayed too far from the Laker bench in much of his first NBA season.

All that changed this week when starting guard Byron Scott suffered a bruised shoulder and was unable to play Wednesday night. Suddenly, the Lakers’ hopes rested on the shoulders of seldom-used Smith and other reserves.

Perhaps it was not a benchmark performance, but Smith responded with 12 points, making five of six shots and two of three free throws. He played 30 minutes in backing up starter Terry Teagle, who had nine points.

It was a heady day for Smith, who said he entered the game hoping not to make mistakes. He fouled out late in the fourth quarter, but that is a tribute to an aggressive effort in trying to guard Chicago’s Michael Jordan.

“We played a good game, except for a few mistakes at the end,” Smith said. “Magic told us to go out and just have fun.”

So that is what Smith did. He said he planned to concentrate on guarding Jordan, the league’s premier player. But he quickly became integrated into the offense, making his first five shots.

“We thought we could energize the team by hustling and picking up some loose balls,” he said of himself and rookie Elden Campbell, who scored 21 points in 27 minutes.

“I was definitely happy to be in there.”

Other notable Lakers were happy, too.

Said Johnson: “Tony was unreal. They (Smith and Campbell) showed Coach (Mike) Dunleavy that they want some playing time for next year. They were ready tonight.”

Smith said it was not difficult to play in such a pivotal game without much experience. He said he was not nervous because he knew he would play.

Smith said that not even Jordan fazed him.

“You know, I didn’t have time to think about Jordan’s moves,” he said. “Too busy concentrating on raising my play. We were running some plays I wasn’t used to.”

Still, he got a first-hand look at many of Jordan’s 30 points.

“I tried to stay as close to him as I could,” Smith said. “After some of those shots, wow, I wondered what I could have done to stop that.”

Not much.

But that is what gaining experience is all about.

Last February, when Johnson suffered a concussion from a hard fall to the floor, Smith was called to service.

Again, the team he faced was Chicago. He also sparkled in a game the Lakers won.

Now, Smith said he plans to work on his skills during summer leagues in Los Angeles.

He has learned after one professional season that one game, no matter how important a game, does not make a career.

“Will I have to come back to camp and prove everything all over to stay on this team?” he asked. “You never know what will happen.”

Smith proved that Wednesday night.