NBA PLAYOFFS / UPDATE : LAKERS : These Are Tough Times for Divac

Tuesday wasn’t Vlade Divac’s day. First, the Laker center learned the NBA had fined him $5,000 for a flagrant foul he committed last Friday on Seattle’s Nate McMillan.

“I understand what they’re trying to do in the league because there’s too much fighting this year,” said Divac, who must pay an additional $250 for being ejected, “but in my case, I think it’s a little much.”

Then he was reminded of his playoff matchup with the Suns’ Mark West, who outplayed him in the teams’ second-round series in 1989-90, Divac’s rookie year. West set club playoff records in the opener with 10 offensive rebounds and seven blocks, launching the Suns to a five-game victory. That remains their only playoff series victory over the Lakers in seven tries.

This season, West averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 blocks and 6.8 rebounds against the Lakers. Overall, he averaged 5.3 points, 1.26 blocks and 5.6 rebounds.

“I always have a tough time. He’s huge and he does great things,” Divac said of West, 6 feet 10 and 246 pounds. “He’s a good rebounder and a good post player. . . . I have to try to run him all the way around, meet him high and not let him make (plays from) the low post. If he makes the low post, nobody can stop him.”

Divac averaged a career-high 12.8 points this season after “changing my game plan” at midseason. “I made sure I had good concentration every game,” said Divac, who averaged 11 points before the All-Star break and 15.4 points after. “Before, I was up and down, up and down. Now I know what I can do and should do.”

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Backup center Benoit Benjamin, who had half the nail on his left big toe removed Tuesday, expects to resume practice Thursday. . . . Alex Blackwell, dropped from the playoff roster, is making himself useful by playing the role of Charles Barkley in the Laker practices. . . . In 18 series since the best-of-five format was adopted, no eighth-seeded team has upset a top-seeded team in the opening round.