Magic’s Script Is Similar, but the Talent Around Him Isn’t : Scenario: Johnson has rescued Lakers before, but that was as a player.

The players were filing onto the team plane in a state of despair. They were heading to Philadelphia for the sixth game of the 1980 NBA finals against the 76ers without their captain and leader, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

But one undaunted rookie strode down the aisle and took the bulkhead seat on the left side, traditionally Abdul-Jabbar’s seat.

“Never fear,” he proclaimed, “E.J. is here.”

And he was. Twenty-year-old Earvin Johnson filled not only the seat, but the role, playing center part of the time and team leader all night as the Lakers beat the 76ers to win the NBA title.

Fast forward 14 years.

The Lakers have fallen on hard times. There are failures on the court and empty seats in the stands. The glamour and glitter of Showtime is tarnished. The championship banners on the wall are a stinging reminder of better times.

High up in his private box, owner Jerry Buss sees a team headed nowhere.

Again, the bulkhead seat is empty. Again, Johnson is asked to fill it.

Buss had been dropping hints to Johnson for nearly two years about coaching the team.

But two weeks ago, Buss got specific. Would Magic coach until the end of the season?

It was a reasonable gamble for both sides. If it works, Buss might have his coach of the future. If not, he’ll find a new coach. The decision to remove Randy Pfund is irrevocable.

As for Johnson, if he doesn’t like coaching, he’ll walk away. If he does like it and the Lakers want him back, Johnson has some leverage in his bid to buy a piece of the team.

Buss caught Johnson at just the right time. His world tour is on hold until the end of May. In the meantime, Johnson has been sitting courtside at the Forum, agonizing over the misfortunes of his former team.

So why not take a seat on the bench and try to do something about it?

Once he decided to give it a try, Johnson first ran the idea past his wife, Cookie.

“You’re here (at the Forum) every night anyway,” she told her husband. “So you might as well go on and coach.”

Johnson said his health was not an issue.

“I’m fine, I’m great,” he said. “Don’t worry about that. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

Next order of business was a contract.

No problem.

Johnson’s agent, Lon Rosen, sat down and worked out an acceptable deal in about the time it takes for the 24-second clock to expire.

It’s easy to work out a deal when the dollar figure comes to zero.

Already receiving $2.5 million this season from Buss under his player contract, Johnson agreed to add on his new duties at no extra charge.

Next came the matter of Johnson’s schedule. With activities ranging from speaking engagements to television tapings, it was impossible to drop everything at a moment’s notice.

So it was decided to wait until Sunday to inaugurate the Magic Era, Part II.

The original announcement was to be made at the end of the week, but, when the news leaked Tuesday, a news conference was hastily called for Wednesday.

With the decision already made public, Johnson made a call Tuesday night to his old friend and teammate, Michael Cooper.

Would Cooper like to join him on the sidelines? You bet.

Does Cooper think Johnson can coach?

“I do after I saw him come in here with his team on tour,” Cooper said. “I was sitting in the stands watching them practice.

“Usually with teams like that, they say, ‘Come here in shape and let’s go.’ But he was preparing them and giving them drills and making them work. And I thought, ‘He can do this.’ ”

But it’s going to take some getting used to. When Rosen asked Johnson what time he wanted to practice Saturday, Johnson replied, “Whatever they want.”

Rosen shook his head. “No,” he told Johnson, “You’re the guy. This is your team. You decide. You’re Pat Riley.”

Not yet, but there are parallels.

Riley also took over the team without any head coaching experience. He, too, assumed command in a time of tribulation, the Lakers in turmoil in those days after the firing of Coach Paul Westhead.

Riley, however, had far more talent to work with.

Can Johnson weave his magic with far less?

He approaches the task with his usual unwavering confidence. Never fear, E.J. is here.