Harris Quietly Hits the Mark as Lakers Win

The achievement was not even trumpeted inside the Laker locker room, where players celebrated a victory but not the milestone that went unannounced.

Even the beam of Del Harris was low key. He asked trainer Gary Vitti to get the game ball--the one Eddie Jones was holding as time ran out on the Lakers’ 96-88 victory over the Miami Heat at the Forum--and that was that.

Harris had joined exclusive company . . . as he played the other coach at the Monday matinee. But if the reaction from the 14,109 in attendance was saved for Pat Riley, the moment, however private, belonged to Harris.

With Jones scoring 20 points and Vlade Divac adding 19 points and 17 rebounds, Harris became the 25th coach in NBA history, ninth active, to reach 400 victories.

“The fact that there’s been an awful lot of outstanding coaches in this league and only 25 have gotten there means something to me, all right,” he said. “It’s the kind of stat that’s not going to hurt the team in any way.

“It’s no record. But still, it’s nice. When I look at the list of names of people who have won 400 games or more, they’re awfully good coaches.”

Lenny Wilkens, No. 1 all-time, Bill Fitch, Dick Motta, Riley, Don Nelson, Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan and Mike Fratello are the only current counterparts to get there, out of 29 possible coaches. Fratello will keep some distance if the Cavaliers continue to win, but Harris is 24 victories away from moving past John Kundla, a former Minneapolis Laker coach, for 24th place on the overall list.

For now, though, he will have Monday.

The Lakers led by nine in the third quarter and then early in the fourth. The Heat never got within striking distance again, although with Miami’s offense that could mean four points.

Vitti got the weathered game ball and handed it to Rudy Garciduenas, the equipment manager, for delivery. Harris accepted the trophy in the hallway outside the locker room and put it under his arm.

“If everybody just wanted to go out and win games, that’s one individual honor I’ll welcome,” Harris said.

All of this was news to most Laker players. They didn’t know about the feat, before or after.

“I like these kinds of games,” Divac said when told of the significance. “It’s a piece of history. Today, it’s for Coach Harris.”

Divac earned the right to enjoy it. A game after getting 25 points, a season high, and 11 rebounds against Hakeem Olajuwon, he took on Alonzo Mourning and lived to tell.

Mourning had 28 points, six rebounds and six blocked shots in 34 minutes, but 12 of the points came in the fourth quarter with Derek Strong on defense as Divac nursed foul trouble. Divac eventually fouled out with 45 seconds left, but that was kind of like leaving on his terms.

“Whenever the big boys come to town, Vlade’s going to be in town,” said Jones, who also had five rebounds, four steals and four assists to go with his team-high 20 points. “Sometimes, he has something to prove to these guys.”

The Heat, meanwhile, lurched home from a six-game trip in which it won only once, the opener at Denver, and dotted the Western Conference with bent rims, scoring 88, 92, 89, 81, 65 and 88 points and shooting 39% against the Lakers.

Meet the 11-3 team that has become 16-19.

“I mean, it is a total breakdown, from mental on the court to physical on execution techniques, spiritual,” said Riley, 3-2 as a visiting coach at the Forum. “There is no enthusiasm. They have taken on the demeanor of a team that is beaten and pounded on, and the whole thing has got to change. How we’re going to do it remains to be seen, but it has to be done.”

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Laker Notes

Cedric Ceballos returned home Sunday after two nights in the hospital because of flu, but sat out his second game in a row. The Lakers have won both, over Houston and Miami. The next game isn’t until Friday, so his chances of a return then are good. George Lynch again started at small forward and helped hold Billy Owens, the key to the Heat in the eyes of Del Harris, to two-of-10 shooting and five rebounds. The previous game, Lynch had a season-high 14 points. . . . The Lakers, outrebounded in 19 of 20 games heading into the game against the Rockets, have won the battle of the boards twice in a row, even without Ceballos, No. 2 in that category. That hasn’t happened since mid-November.

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400 Club

The Lakers’ Del Harris became the ninth active coach to win 400 games. The list: *--*

Coach Team W L Lenny Wilkens Atlanta 986 831 Dick Motta Dallas 903 933 Bill Fitch Clippers 877 963 Don Nelson N.Y. 839 617 Pat Riley Miami 772 318 Larry Brown Indiana 554 420 Jerry Sloan Utah 480 327 Mike Fratello Cle. 433 342 Del Harris Lakers 400 392

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