WHICH CAMPBELL WILL SHOW UP? : Though He Often Runs Hot and Cold, Lakers Are Expecting the Dominant Version in the Playoffs

By SCOTT HOWARD-COOPER

April 23, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PALM DESERT —

The riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a $49-million contract has reached the playoffs in stride, so the Lakers are confident enough to presume that Elden Campbell is not their great playoff concern.

That the playoffs have historically been the setting for some of his brightest moments helps strengthen that belief. So do his last three games. He closed the regular season by averaging 23.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in only 28.3 minutes and shooting 65.9% while again playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal.

He was good enough that even if Coach Del Harris was risking a false start by calling the reunion of his two starting big men a sure-fire success after the first of those games last Thursday, the next two won over most everyone else.

The skepticism arose because of the start of this season, and most every part of the previous six. Campbell has brought it on himself, of course, so inconsistent has he been in flashing the potentially dominating combination of size, skills, speed and strength at 6 feet 11 and 250 pounds. If he were a country, doubting would be the national pastime by now.

But here are the Lakers anyway, with Game 1 of the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers coming Friday, convinced.

Convinced that Campbell can play power forward to O’Neal’s center and not disappear, as if he, and not some opposing big man, was the one being overwhelmed by O’Neal.

Convinced that Campbell can contribute, consistently, no matter the lineup.

“Now, we have two options down there at the same time,” point guard Nick Van Exel said. “If we swing the ball to him, Elden is going to score or get fouled or make something else happen.

“Before, we would basically go to Shaq, go to Shaq, go to Shaq. And when we would get the ball to Elden, he wasn’t in a position to do anything. Now, he’s established himself.”

Established himself with O’Neal in the lineup, that is. This is in contrast to the start of their first season together, when Campbell flailed in the offense, unsure at times how to play off a dominating center, how to get open as the double teams crashed to the post, even on the opposite side. He admitted feeling lost.

He found himself even before O’Neal went down for two months. It was during O’Neal’s first injury, the sprained ligament in the right knee. The first game, Feb. 4 against the Clippers, Campbell had 20 points, tying his second-biggest output of the season. The biggest had been 22, on Jan. 3 against the Sacramento Kings, a contest O’Neal missed because of a sprained ankle.

The second game, Feb. 5 against the Chicago Bulls, resulted in 34 points and 14 rebounds and a Laker victory. O’Neal returned for one game--one quarter, actually--and then was lost for the next 28. Campbell took over, averaging 19.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and two blocks as the starting center in all but three of those.

“He’s a lot more confident now,” said Kurt Rambis, the former teammate and current Laker assistant coach who works the big men. “He’s a lot more aggressive. There are times in games when he demands the basketball.”

So Campbell definitely recovered from the bad start, one that included a thinly veiled rip by O’Neal, himself, about how some players get big new contracts and then hit the snooze button. But could he definitely play with O’Neal?

In their first game together since Feb. 12--the reunion was delayed because a badly bruised buttock cost Campbell two games after O’Neal had returned--Campbell had 21 points and six rebounds against the Kings, O’Neal 42 points and 12 rebounds.

Then on Friday against the Clippers, Campbell had 21 points and three rebounds, O’Neal 18 points and six rebounds.

And Sunday against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers’ first-round opponent, Campbell had 29 points and 11 rebounds, O’Neal 24 points and seven rebounds.

They had been together before. But for the first time, they were playing together.

“Just a matter of getting the job done,” Campbell said. “It’s been something I had to work through before, so I’ll be able to handle it.”

Added O’Neal, “I’m not concerned. We just have to play off each other.”

Lakers vs. Portland

* Game 1: Friday at Forum, 7:30

* Game 2: Sunday at Forum, Noon

* Game 3: April 30 at Portland, 7:30

* Game 4: May 2 at Portland, TBA*

* Game 5: May 4 at Forum, TBA*

* if necessary

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Stepping Up

Elden Campbell increased his offensive production when Shaquille O’Neal was sidelined because of injury. A comparison of Campbell’s statistics to O’Neal’s with him in and out of the lineup. All numbers are game averages:

WITH SHAQ

G: 50

Minutes: 31.4

Shots: 10.0

FG%: .464

Free throws: 3.2

Free-throw %: .713

Rebounds: 8.0

Assists: 1.5

Points: 11.5

WITHOUT SHAQ

G: 27