Slide Continues as Lakers Lose Finale to Trail Blazers : Basketball: Portland’s 109-104 victory means Los Angeles has lost three in a row and seven of eight heading into the playoffs.

There wasn’t a soft landing at the bottom of the slide Saturday night, either.

The regular season ended, but the disappointment rolled on for the Lakers, who lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 109-104, before 17,505 at the Forum to head into the playoffs having lost three in a row and seven of their last eight.

“I think you’ve got to be happy to get this behind you,” guard Eddie Jones said after the Lakers finished 48-34. “Happy to go to the playoffs and get another chance. You have to look at it like that.”

Unlike the previous two games, the Lakers had a chance to win. But that chance disappeared when, with the Trail Blazers holding a 105-104 lead, Terry Porter made a jumper from the left side with 9.2 seconds remaining for a 107-104 advantage. Clifford Robinson added two late free throws for the final margin.

That was Porter’s only field goal for the night, although he had two free throws. Robinson led all scorers with 26 points and Harvey Grant added 19 for the Trail Blazers. Anthony Peeler had a team-high 22 points for the Lakers.

The end of the regular season came a night after the end of the uncertainty, when the Lakers, having been the No. 5 team in the Western Conference for weeks, finally learned of their first-round opponent.

That came Friday, when Seattle clinched No. 4 by losing at Sacramento, although the SuperSonics can still be the Pacific Division co-champions by beating Phoenix today.

At last, the Lakers had gotten something besides bad news. They did, after all, go 4-1 against Seattle and win in both trips to the Tacoma Dome, where the best-of-five series opens Thursday night. Even if that doesn’t make them the favorites, it should be a confidence boost.

“I was going to find a way to explain that whoever we drew, that was the best draw,” Coach Del Harris said. “That’s what you’ve got to do. I’m sure that’s the very thing that they (the SuperSonics) are doing.”

Said Nick Van Exel: “The only thing we were hoping was that we weren’t going to face San Antonio in the first round. That was the only thing. We feel we can compete with any other team if the Lakers--the Lake Show--shows up. That’s going to be a big key for us.

“If we come out and play like we did when we first started playing this season, we’re going to be fine. But if we come out like the second half of the season--timid, too passive, quick shots, a lot of jump shots, no rebounding, trouble in transition defense--it’ll kill us.”

Those subjects will provide much of the focus when a three-day mini-camp opens Monday at College of the Desert. Two-a-days are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and the Lakers hope that Sedale Threatt, who has not played since April 9 because of a strained abdominal muscle, will be able to take part. Likewise for Vlade Divac, who Saturday missed his second game in a row because of flu.

Laker Notes

The 1985 championship team, which holds a special place in Laker history because it was the first to beat the Celtics, was honored during a halftime ceremony to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the title. Most of the players--including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes and Michael Cooper--attended. Former Coach Pat Riley, now with the Knicks, sent a video message. “I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight,” he said. “I still have a job, barely.” . . . Trouble for Del Harris. He’s the cover boy for the Lakers’ postseason media guide, a sure sign that his time with the organization is running out. Riley got the so-called honor in 1990, just before leaving. It was Johnson in 1991, just before he retired. Mike Dunleavy in 1992, just before he quit to join the Bucks. A.C. Green in 1993, just before he left as a free agent. When John Black, the public relations director, told Executive Vice President Jerry West and General Manager Mitch Kupchak he was going with Harris, their reaction was the same: “Just don’t put me on the cover.” . . . Portland’s P.J. Carlesimo has become the first coach in 25 years to finish with a winning record after going directly from college head coach to NBA head coach. Cotton Fitzsimmons, who went from Kansas State to the Suns in 1971, was the last.