Lakers Refute the Harris Poll

The vote that didn’t really take place and the firing that isn’t actually imminent became part of the Lakers’ post-all-star-break hassles Wednesday, not long before they beat the Indiana Pacers, 104-95, before 17,505 at the Great Western Forum.

The outcome of their first home game since Feb. 19, after the season-long six-game see-saw ride, is fact. The rest is not, contrary to reports from various media outlets around the country.

Laker management has no plans to fire Del Harris as coach. At least for now--a continued slide does put him in real jeopardy.

And Laker players did not vote, 12-0, to go to Executive Vice President Jerry West in an attempt to get Harris fired. They did not vote at all and did not take anything to West.

“That’s ridiculous,” forward Robert Horry said. “Who do they think we are, Orlando?”

Said Shaquille O’Neal, the team captain: “I think Del knows we did not have that meeting. I think he knows that was bogus. We’re going to have to be together in this.”

Being the Lakers is tough enough these days. They may have defeated the Pacers twice in a week, a considerable accomplishment even for a team playing well given that Indiana brought the league’s fourth-best record into Wednesday’s game, but are still only 6-7 since the break.

That’s not even the worst of it for Harris. His charges continue to regularly play without intensity, sometimes even without heart, prompting heavy doses of frustration and disappointment from his bosses, all the way up to owner Jerry Buss. Still, management places much of the blame for that on players who surely must be able to motivate themselves better considering the stakes.

Meanwhile, the players struggle for consistent energy, practically desperate for practices that are more workout and less Harris filibuster, and the coach carries on.

“I’d rather read good things about ol’ Del, of course,” he said. “But I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so I can handle most anything you can throw at me.

“I know I’m doing the best I can do, and that happens to be a good job. I understand the game and I understand the system. I have confidence everything will work out for the good, because it always has.

“Back in ‘80-81, the New York papers fired me four separate times on the way to the finals [with the Houston Rockets]. Maybe this is a good thing.”

Or maybe it isn’t.

“I think it bothered him,” Horry said. “Because he didn’t talk that much today [at the shootaround]. It was on his ego or his psyche.”

West did not call Harris on Wednesday to reassure him--the two had a long talk last week, during the 3-3 trip that ended with a loss at Washington--and Harris noted that a vote of confidence was not necessary simply because a New York tabloid tied his imminent demise to unnamed sources. Still, given his personality--gregarious and friendly, but usually too sensitive for his own good--the events of the day likely were more bothersome than he let on.

That made the events of the night all the more welcome, the Lakers building a 19-point lead in the second quarter while shooting a blistering 66.7% before intermission, and then remaining mostly in control throughout the second half. The Pacers got as close as 89-83 in the fourth quarter, before Rick Fox made a pair of three-pointers to regain the momentum.

“We have had two of our 10 best games this year against Indiana,” Harris said. “Coming from the fine state of Indiana myself, I take pleasure in beating the team from the home state.”

Maybe a little more on this night.

In all, Fox scored nine of his 18 points in the final period, helping the Lakers overcome their 21 turnovers. Finishing at 54.4% helped, despite the 28.6% of the fourth. So did the 11 rebounds and five blocked shots off the bench and O’Neal getting 29 points, 12 rebounds and five rebounds--and making 13 of 15 free throws.

Reggie Miller had 24 points for the Pacers. Mark Jackson added 12 assists.

“It’s an important win,” Harris admitted. “We needed to win in any event.”

For their sake, and for his.