Lakers Too Heavy for Van Exel : NBA playoffs: Guard scores 29 points, but it’s not enough as L.A. loses to Seattle, 96-71, the lowest point total in franchise playoff history.

The Lakers’ absence from the playoffs reached one year and a game on Thursday night.

Nick Van Exel showed up at the Tacoma Dome for the playoff opener and was joined by . . . nobody! No Cedric Ceballos. No Anthony Peeler or Eddie Jones, the starting shooting guards by committee.

The only thing that looked familiar to the Lakers was the outcome, and that’s not good, considering the way they finished. Now it’s the way they started the first round, dominated in the fourth quarter in a 96-71 rout by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Left to go it alone with a game-high 29 points, Van Exel found that his previous monster performances against Seattle couldn’t carry into the postseason without a supporting cast. His teammates combined for 42 points in what became the worst offensive output in Laker playoff history, breaking the record of 72 points set April 9, 1972, against Milwaukee.

The next-closest Laker? Vlade Divac had 11 points. Ceballos, their leading scorer during the regular season, had all of two points on one-of-10 shooting. Detlef Schrempf, who harassed him most of the night on defense, went for 20. Shawn Kemp led the SuperSonics with 21.

The Lakers opened with a sudden change: Peeler in place of Jones as the starting shooting guard as Del Harris was more concerned about his team’s play the final two weeks of the regular season than whether a shake-up at this time is risky. In fact, Harris also planned to go with Sam Bowie over Elden Campbell at power forward, but Bowie came down with flu and instead remained a reserve.

“I think our situation called for some change,” Harris said.

It certainly called for something. The Lakers, after all, came in having lost eight of their final 10 games of the regular season, including a blowout at the hands of the SuperSonics.

So out went Jones, who averaged 12.8 points and shot 44.3% in the 10 games since returning to the starting lineup after a lengthy absence because of a sprained shoulder. Peeler was at 10.5 and 37% in the same span, but Harris was quick to recall his 17.3 points in 24 consecutive starts, most in place of Jones. The possibility of getting that player back was a great enough lure.

“AP played so well as a starter,” Harris said. “I felt like we had given Eddie enough time to reclaim his spot. I just felt that since AP wasn’t doing quite as well off the bench as I had hoped, let’s get him back in there where he can be an asset. And maybe Eddie can get us some life off the bench.

“I don’t think he (Jones) has quite gotten back into his rhythm since he was hurt. It’s just a matter of getting the most out of both of them.”

But it’s not a risky move?

“Not really,” Harris said. “Not when you’ve won two out of 10.”

With the Lakers scrounging for offense, Peeler managed one shot, a miss, in the first 7:02 before being replaced and made two of five shots in the opening half; Jones made one of three in the same 13 minutes. Sedale Threatt contributed three misses in four tries, making the (non-) shooting guards a combined four of 12.

And that wasn’t even the biggest of the self-inflicted wounds, not compared to Ceballos making one of eight shots. To think the Lakers trailed only 50-42 at halftime, thanks to 18 points from Van Exel.

Turns out Van Exel was just warming up. Midway through the third quarter, he made three consecutive baskets to revive the Lakers and memories of a couple great games here during the regular season. That got them within 58-55, before Seattle pulled away again for a 68-57 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

* OUT OF ACTION

Laker guard Sedale Threatt may miss the remainder of the Seattle series because of a strained abdominal muscle. C6