For No Real Reason, Lakers Are Still Alive : Analysis: After losing star after star, they become a team of ordinary talent, but extraordinary staying power.

You can’t pinpoint it, but one moment when no one was looking, this Laker season crossed the line from remarkable into extraordinary.

You got the idea something funny was going on last Sunday, when Vlade Divac chased Tom Chambers the length of the court on a fast break, just so he could foul him to prevent a layup. This was in the second quarter with the Lakers trailing by 12 points and the Suns running them dizzy.

Divac? The guy Magic Johnson had to kick-start daily?

So you thought, “That’s interesting, I wonder what’s gotten into Vlade?” and went back to sleep.

The game looked like a carved-in-stone 10-point Laker loss, surely signaling the beginning of the end for this beleaguered little band. They’re thin, they’re tired, they’re in against a Pacific Division full of younger, deeper teams.

Even in the halcyon days of, say, January, when James Worthy and Sam Perkins were sound, Sacramento General Manager Jerry Reynolds wondered out loud if, on sheer talent, the Lakers matched up with any team in the division.

And now?

“You’re talking about losing three of the top 25 players in the world in my mind,” Reynolds said. “In a way, this is one of the great years in Laker history.

“Take (Clyde) Drexler, (Terry) Porter and (Buck) Williams away from Portland and see what happens. Take (Chris) Mullin, (Tim) Hardaway and (Billy) Owens away from Golden State and see what happens.”

Here is what has happened to the Lakers:

Nov. 7--Johnson retires.

Nov. 8--The grieving, shocked Lakers are blown away, 113-85, at Phoenix. The morning shootaround is like a wake, with swarms of reporters interviewing numb players. Byron Scott says he can’t imagine wanting to play basketball again for months. Before the game, a TV camera captures a tear running down Scott’s cheek as he listens to former teammate Kurt Rambis read a tribute to Johnson.

Afterward, Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy manages a grin and says he knew it would be a rout one way or the other.

Nov. 10--The Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in a desultory game in the Forum.

Nov. 14--The Lakers win their second in a row, surprising the Warriors, 115-112, at Oakland. The Warriors were 6-1, averaging 122 points a game.

Nov. 22--The Lakers defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the Forum for their sixth victory in a row, but they lose Divac because of back spasms.

Nov. 27--In Miami, the Lakers learn that Divac has undergone back surgery and will be sidelined for two months (that turns out to be three).

Before the game, Perkins mutters: “Who’s next?”

They fall behind the Heat by 15 in the second quarter, catch up, fall behind by seven in the fourth and rally once more, winning, 89-87, when Sedale Threatt bounces in a 20-footer off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

It’s their ninth victory in a row.

Mid-December--Things are getting bizarre.

Johnson says he won’t rule out returning.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 44, preparing for his one-on-one match against Julius Erving, says he might return, too.

Laker General Manager Jerry West sighs: “This is too complex for me.”

Dec. 17--Magic ‘n’ Mike Night.

Johnson makes the trip to Chicago, where the Lakers are expected to be cannon fodder for the 18-3 Bulls. Michael Jordan is presented with Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award beforehand, ironic because he is under fire on various public relations fronts. Jordan accepts in subdued fashion. Johnson--the man with a death sentence over his head--tries to cheer up Jordan--the man who has everything--even entreating writers not to push Mike out of basketball. In the game, Jordan misses his last 10 shots, including a breakaway dunk and the Lakers pull off a 102-89 upset.

Dec. 19--Two nights later in Minneapolis, they sleepwalk through a 93-85 loss to the 3-18 Timberwolves. The euphoric phase of the Laker season, such as it was, is over.

Dec. 30--A 114-99 loss to the Warriors in the Forum gives the Lakers their first losing month since 1979, or pre-Magic.

Jan. 3--The Pacers, 2-16 lifetime in the Forum, hand the Lakers their worst home defeat in 18 years, 114-87. West goes off, threatening to trade anyone and everyone. “Maybe some guys have been around here too long,” he says.

Jan. 21--Worthy, the leading Laker scorer who has been averaging 40 minutes per night, leaves for three games because of a sore knee. The Lakers take a 131-92 pounding at Portland.

Feb. 22--Another loss in the Forum--126-124 to the Warriors--gives them seven in a row, their longest skid since 1958.

Feb. 26--Good news for the Lakers: Divac is finally back. They beat the New York Knicks, 81-68, in Pat Riley’s homecoming.

Feb. 28--A loss in the Forum to the Cavaliers gives them a 3-10 record for February, their second losing month since 1979.

March 1--Bad news for the Lakers: Worthy is sidelined again. He leaves during a 105-97 loss to the Rockets at the Forum.

March 8--The Pistons win, 98-93, in the Forum. The Lakers say Worthy won’t make the start of the upcoming East Coast trip. It turns out he won’t make any of it.

March 10--In New York, where Riley is waiting to take his revenge, the Lakers upend the first-place Knicks, who have a 24-7 home record, 106-104. Threatt scores 42 points while engaging in a running verbal battle with Knick guard Mark Jackson.

March 14--The Lakers beat the Washington Bullets to go 3-1 on the trip, surpassing expectations by one, two or three victories, depending on whom you ask.

“Now to get James back and make a run at this thing,” says Byron Scott.

March 17--Worthy returns to practice, but his knee swells again. “Exploratory” arthroscopic surgery is scheduled.

March 18--The Lakers announce that Worthy is sidelined for the season. For punctuation, the Trail Blazers beat them, 98-93, their seventh loss in nine games at the Forum.

March 20--Perkins, the surviving leading scorer, misses a 131-121 victory over the Timberwolves because of a sore left shoulder. He is listed as day to day.

March 26--Perkins still can’t raise his arm and goes on the injured list, meaning it’s now week to week, with only four left.

With their freshly depleted roster, the Lakers must play four games in five nights, three of them on the road.

March 27--A funny thing happens on the way to the guillotine. The Lakers, who played at home the night before, arrive in Salt Lake City at 2 a.m. for that night’s game. The Jazz is 31-3 at home and rested. Chucky Brown, now No. 3 forward, is scratched during warm-ups because of a sprained ankle. In a shocker, the Lakers swarm over the Jazz in the season’s new biggest upset, winning, 103-92. Terry Teagle, heating up with more playing time and less structure, scores 23 points off the bench.

“We started with Earvin Johnson,” Dunleavy says. “We lost James. We lost Sam. If we lose any more games, we’ll get rid of somebody else.”

March 31--They win their fifth in a row since losing Perkins, beating the Rockets, their rivals for the last playoff spot, 107-101, in Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon has just returned, but the Laker front line, or what remains of it, goes nuts. A.C. Green has 22 points and 16 rebounds; Elden Campbell, 22 and nine.

April 3--Forget about the cavalry coming over the hill. Dunleavy says Perkins probably won’t return in the regular season. The SuperSonics force the Lakers into a season-high 25 turnovers and beat them, 96-91.

Dunleavy, drawing a line in the dirt for the fort’s few remaining defenders, goes off on them.

“I don’t know if we believed our press clippings or what, winning five games in a row, like ‘We’re back,’ “ he says in disgust. “We’re not back! We’ve got to fight and claw to win every game.”

April 5--In their last nine home games against teams with winning records, the Lakers are 1-8 and well on their way to 1-9. Dunleavy watches the Lakers fall 16 points behind Phoenix and jumps them again at halftime. Divac and Byron Scott explode in a 32-13 third quarter and the Lakers claw their way to a 109-104 victory. Sun Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons growls in admiration: “Cut the head off a snake and the snake doesn’t necessarily die. Not when it’s been a fighter and a battler.”

April 7--Fairy tales may come true, but not daily. The SuperSonics figure to win at Seattle and do, 117-88. Dunleavy goes off on referee Joe Forte and is ejected.

That brings us up to date, with the still-unsinkable Lakers clinging to a half-a-game lead over the Rockets for the last playoff spot in the West.

Anything is possible, but at least one man is rooting for the Lakers.

“Personally, I hope they make the playoffs,” says Sacramento’s Reynolds. “I don’t want them in the lottery. I know if they’ve got one ball out of the 66, they’ll get Shaquille O’Neal. I have no doubt. I don’t even worry about it.”