‘The Lake Show’ Goes Prime Time Beginning With Magic

March madness, Laker style:

Tonight versus Orlando.

Tuesday versus Seattle.

Thursday at Seattle.

Sunday versus Charlotte.

Next Tuesday at Orlando.

Their coach, Del Harris, calls it a “formidable gauntlet.” Others call it the end of Laker momentum.

Five games. Two against the SuperSonics, the best in the West, and two against the Magic, No. 2 in the East. Three opponents that are a combined 128-62 (67.4%), and that’s with the Hornets at 31-31 and treading water in the playoff hunt. One, Orlando, that hasn’t lost at home since the NBA finals last spring, going 32-0.

“Now, we really have to strap it on,” said Nick Van Exel, averaging 16.9 points and 7.8 assists the last 13 games. “We have some tough games coming up. Now we’ll see what we’re made of.”

Said Harris: “I don’t want to over-emphasize any one aspect of the season. If you say this is a big deal, we’ll be lining up the trophies if we do well. And if we happen to lose and say it’s a big deal, we’re going to be looking for the sharp objects. They all count as one, and we’ve got to keep that perspective.”

But . . .

“These teams will certainly bring out your weaknesses, let’s put it that way.”

There have been other so-called tests along the way. Chicago was supposed to be the first barometer after Magic Johnson came back, and the Bulls cruised. Then came the Jazz, a Laker win. Then the Rockets on the road with an eight-game winning streak on the line, a Houston victory devoid of any real insight because of injuries to both teams.

“We need to stop worrying about other teams so much,” said Johnson, coming off his best game in about a month. “I’m tired of that.”

Heading into this stretch, the Lakers are 40-22, have won 15 of 18 games and held eight of the last 11 opponents under 100 points. But they are also only 14-14 against teams at or above .500. In seven such contests since Johnson has returned, they are 4-3, but three of the victories were against the Suns, Hawks and Knicks, none of whom are considered legitimate contenders even for a conference title.

Now, the real deal.

Orlando, the first bullet out of the chamber, is 48-17 and rolling to the Atlantic Division championship, but the Magic also has this pesky little problem. They’re called road games, and the league office tends to insist on them in the schedule.

The defending Eastern Conference champions, this season left to battle Seattle for the second-best record in the league and playoff home-court advantage against everyone except Chicago, are only 16-17 away from Orlando Arena. They have lost at Toronto, Sacramento, Dallas, Detroit and twice at Atlanta, none of whom are supposed to stand a chance against the inside game of Shaquille O’Neal and Horace Grant.

The contrast is even more dramatic in the numbers:

--The Magic averages 108.4 points at home, 100.2 on the road.

--The defense goes from 96.7 points and 43.9% allowed to 101.9 and 46.7%.

Everything short of luggage getting rerouted to the Far East goes wrong when these guys leave town. On this trip alone, they lost by 17 at Denver on Tuesday, blew a six-point lead with 49 seconds left in the final minute Wednesday at Seattle in a 100-99 defeat, and had to go to overtime to beat Vancouver, the league’s worst team, on Friday.