Team Would Rather Play Than Rest

It’s more of a refresher course than a rest, these three days off in the last week of the regular season for the Lakers.

A break that most teams would welcome as a chance to recharge for the final playoff push has a different meaning for the club trying to come together on the fly, although consecutive victories over the two hottest teams in the league show the Lakers don’t exactly need major repair. It’s just that only one starter, Eddie Jones, has played in each of the last eight games, the centerpiece of the offense and defense, Shaquille O’Neal, has just returned after nearly two weeks out, and the Pacific Division title is on the line.

“It [practice time] is anyway toward the end of the year, but especially with so many guys coming back,” Coach Del Harris said. “We’re trying to get them all into a rhythm.”

The Lakers had Monday completely off and will practice today and Wednesday. From there, they close the regular season by playing three games in four days: Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, Friday against the Clippers at the Sports Arena and Sunday at Portland. A sweep earns them the Pacific Division title and No. 2 spot in the Western Conference, no matter what the Seattle SuperSonics or Houston Rockets do.

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Byron Scott doesn’t intend to be done with basketball even if he’s done playing basketball after this season. That’s why a passing comment by Harris that his veteran shooting guard has many qualities to make a good coach one day struck such a positive chord.

“I love it,” Scott said. “I’m looking forward to that day . . . It’s something that I think about. The last few years, I’ve been saying I want to be a coach.”

Scott has said, however, that he would like to play one more season with the Lakers before retiring.