Quirks Aside, Harris Ready for Showdowns

One scheduling quirk leads to another, with the Lakers nearly reaching the midpoint of the regular season without playing their two main rivals in the Pacific Division and then facing both within four days.

The Phoenix Suns, tonight’s opponent at America West Arena, are the third-place club in the Pacific, though it is developing into the two-team race most projected from the outset. The bigger matchup comes Saturday afternoon at Seattle, where the second-place Lakers play the first-place SuperSonics in a nationally televised matinee.

“We’re ready to try ‘em on,” Coach Del Harris said. “Now, do we think we’re playing our best ball or are we in midseason form or peak form? Are you kidding?”

In other words, the Lakers aren’t close to hitting their stride, which is discomforting now but could easily become no big deal in the long run. Regardless of what happens in the days ahead, they’ll still have three more games each against the SuperSonics and Suns, and an entire second half of the season against everyone.

“I don’t look at them as statement games,” Nick Van Exel said. “I look at them as big games we want to win.”

*

Shaquille O’Neal isn’t naming names, but he is identifying part of the problem.

“A couple guys need to step their games up, and the tape don’t lie,” the team captain said. “They know who they are.

“Everyone has to do their job and do their job well. . . . We’re not rebounding, we’re not blocking out, not playing good one-on-one defense. We’re not doing the little things.”

TONIGHT

at Phoenix

* 5 PST

* Channel 9, TBS

Site--America West Arena.

Radio--KLAC (570).

Records--Lakers 30-9, Suns 25-12.

Record vs. Suns (1996-97)--4-0.

Update--This qualifies as an exhaustive journey by the Lakers’ recent standards: playing at Phoenix tonight, going home, and then playing at Seattle on Saturday. It’s the first time they’ll be out of Los Angeles twice in the same week in nearly two months. The Lakers have won seven in a row against the Suns, three coming in Phoenix. The seven blocks by Shaquille O’Neal on Monday against Orlando tied for his most as a Laker--he got seven last season against the Magic, his former team. His career high is 15.