Expectations Now Headed in the Same Direction as the Team--Downward

The expectation adjustment was intentional--and necessary--says Laker Coach Kurt Rambis.

No more talk about rising to a title or serious looks at playoff matchups or Western Conference seedings or even having to win games. Now, it’s just about the Lakers playing decent basketball, win or lose.

With two weeks left in the 1999 regular season, the Laker team that won 61 games last season and spoke all summer about an NBA championship run is 12-11 since March 10 and is talking only about step-by-step improvement.

“I think that we started off the season with a team that had a good chance to go to that level,” Rambis said Friday, after the Lakers’ practice at L.A. Southwest College and before the team flew to San Antonio.

“With all of the changes that happened, I think the expectations . . . have to change because you have to go through an adjustment period, getting all these new guys on the ballclub.

“[With] all the disruptions that we went through, it’s just not fair to stick the same expectations on the team that started the season.”

Shaquille O’Neal, asked if he saw improvement in the Lakers, who are 2-4 since April 11, paused before answering.

“I still see we’re not playing smart,” he said. “Ill-advised shots at the end of the game. We’re not getting the ball to the right people. We’re not getting the ball to our real shooters.

“Just stupid, idiotic play.”

The next two games--tonight’s at San Antonio (four games ahead of the Lakers, No. 3 in the conference) and Monday’s at Houston (one game ahead, No. 4)--are the fifth-seeded Lakers’ final chance to make a big move up in the playoff order.

At the very least, if the Lakers could overtake Houston, they would get home-court advantage in their probable first-round match against the Rockets.

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Forward Rick Fox underwent an MRI on his sore right knee and did not accompany the team to San Antonio. A team spokesman said that if no serious damage is found, Fox could rejoin the Lakers, either in San Antonio or Houston.

Rambis said that point guard Derek Harper, who has been held out of the last four games to refresh him for the stretch drive, had his best recent practice Friday. But Rambis would not say whether Harper will play on this trip.

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O’Neal on Glen Rice’s shooting struggles: “We’ve just got to get him involved more. He’s just standing. We’ve got to get him off screens. We’ve got to use people to our advantage, not to our disadvantage. He’s going to start hitting. I know Glen. He’s not going to be in a funk for a while.”

TONIGHT

at San Antonio

5:30, Channel 4

* Site--Alamodome.

* Radio--KLAC (570 AM).

* Records--Lakers 27-17; Spurs 30-12.

* Record vs. Spurs--2-0.

* Update--The O’Neal-era Lakers have dominated the Spurs and have won both games this season. But they won those games before mid-February, when San Antonio was off-kilter. Led by Sean Elliott and Tim Duncan, the Spurs have won 24 of their last 28, including recent meetings with Houston, Portland and Utah.