PRO BASKETBALL / DAILY REPORT : LAKERS-CLIPPERS : Rivalry Is Real, Edwards Says

James Edwards is convinced the rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers is real and not mere hype.

He speaks as a Laker now, in his second stint as one of their centers. But a year ago at this time, he was opening his first season as a Clipper. As recently as five months ago, he, and most everyone, expected him to stay there.

But when Edwards bought out his contract and the Clippers decided not to make an offer to retain him, he joined the Lakers. He faced his former teammates Friday night at the Forum for the second time in a week.

“I just want to get a win,” Edwards said before the game. “But if (Ron) Harper drives down the lane, I’m going to knock (him) down.”

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The Clippers used a computer on the bench the last two games to calculate the success rate of certain plays as the game progressed, but they will probably scrap the plan.

“It’s something we experimented with,” said Quin Snyder, the assistant coach who ran the IBM lap-top against Sacramento. “We were charting shots, baskets, the location of the shots, the plays we ran, rebounds, all sorts of things.

“But from what Coach (Larry) Brown told me, he thinks it would be a little bit of a distraction. It is an advantage to have it on the bench for immediate access. You don’t have to wait for the third quarter for halftime statistics or anything like that . . . but I was having a hard time watching the game and keeping up with game on the computer.”

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Laker Elden Campbell was ejected with 6:53 remaining in the game after being charged with a punching foul.

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Five Clippers (Danny Manning, Ken Norman, Stanley Roberts, Ron Harper and Mark Jackson) are on the all-star ballot for the Feb. 21 game at Salt Lake City, making them one of only six teams to have the entire starting lineup. The Lakers are represented by four players: James Worthy, Sedale Threatt, Vlade Divac and Sam Perkins. Magic Johnson is also on the ballot, but has said he won’t play and the league has said his votes won’t be tabulated.