Videotape Gets Even Worse Rating

What, having to live through it wasn’t bad enough?

The Lakers had Sunday to review their alleged appearance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, watching film of the debacle that confirmed they were as bad as it had seemed the first time.

“Terrifying,” Eddie Jones said.

“Watching the film,” Rick Fox added, “was as painful as playing the game. It was like the Titanic. Not the movie, but the ship.”

Robert Horry said it reminded him of the “Wizard of Oz,” because the Lakers played like a team with “no heart, no brain, no courage.”

Said Coach Del Harris: “And no wizard.”

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Shaquille O’Neal called Saturday’s showing “probably” the worst of his two-year Laker career.

He has had as few as 19 points before--the season low was 17, Nov. 7 against the New York Knicks in his first appearance and Nov. 18 at the Delta Center--but not as bad an all-around game. He has never looked more out of sync than the first quarter, missing all four shots and committing two turnovers, en route to finishing six of 16 from the field and seven of 16 from the line with eight rebounds, two blocked shots, seven turnovers and four fouls in 35 minutes.

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And then there were the other Jazz pyrotechnics.

Utah officials have brought back the brief fireworks show for just before the start of home playoff games, the one that drew so much attention during the finals against the Bulls last year because it includes a couple of loud booms that forces even Jazz players to cover their ears.

“We didn’t bring ear plugs,” Harris said. “We did bring our fingers, however.”

Good thing.

“We don’t ever expect to win the introductions or warmups,” he said. “We just kind of start the game at our place.”

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The one commendable performance Saturday came from Corie Blount. The reserve power forward had a team-high nine rebounds in only 17 minutes. . . . The 35-point setback in Game 1 may have been the biggest loss in Los Angeles Laker playoff history, but it doesn’t come close to the regular-season record. In fact, it only ties for the seventh-worst defeat overall. The record is 46, set against Portland on Jan. 9, 1995.