AFTER A WILD SEASON, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS...MAY DAY

It has been a strange journey for the Lakers to end up back at the same place, trying to shed the same deja vu desperation and escape the same high-stakes, high-profile, high-drama situation.

Dennis Rodman . . . Del Harris . . . Eddie Jones . . . Nick Van Exel . . . they’re gone. But do their spirits linger?

After so much turmoil and turnover, here the Lakers are, with three NBA stars and zero victories in two mistake-plagued games against the San Antonio Spurs.

Here are Games 3 and 4 of this Western Conference semifinal matchup--today and Sunday, at the Great Western Forum--serving as the Lakers’ most telling test of how far they have come, and how much might need to be fixed before they try it again.

Two days in May to answer this simple, yet so far unanswered query: What’s going on with the Lakers?

“That’s a million-dollar question,” veteran Spur swingman Mario Elie said Friday. “You’ve got three great players, I mean, you’ve just got to utilize them.

“If they keep making the mistakes, that’s fine with me. They’ll be out of this series.

“It was the same thing for them against Utah last year. They were in all the games, but they couldn’t get it done down the stretch.”

Realistically, the Lakers must win both games this weekend to remain in contention, because Games 5 and 7 are scheduled for San Antonio and even a split would force the Lakers to win three in a row under extreme duress.

Plainly, the Lakers cannot succeed against the hard-nosed Spur defense without Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice proving once and for all that they can play harmoniously together, without all of them worrying about how to avoid screwing up at the end of the game, with the season on the line.

“We can,” Rice insisted Friday. “We’ve done it. We’ve done it great at times.”

They did, for a nice stretch to end the regular season and through the four-game victory over Houston in the first round.

But San Antonio’s low-post talent and its determination to impede any and all of O’Neal’s offensive moves has left him averaging 18.5 points and revived the idea that if you stop Shaq, the Lakers grind to a halt.

And if you give the Lakers a reason to lose confidence and sulk away a series, they just might.

In each of the last two seasons, they have played Utah decently--but without victories--to open playoff series in Salt Lake City, then have unwound in the final minutes in key games at the Forum, losing last year in a sweep, and two years ago in five games.

Different makeup, same situation. Same reaction?

“Right now, we’re in a tough spot,” point guard Derek Fisher said. “But we aren’t desperate. We don’t feel like the emergency lights have to go on.

“We feel like we can go out and play the way that we have, tighten up a few things and win both games. We’ve been in position to win both games in their place.

“We feel comfortable coming back here to L.A. and winning both of our games at home, and then the series is new.”

But how new are the Lakers?

Rice, who was acquired specifically to ease O’Neal’s burden by providing a deadly outside shooting presence in pressure situations, has been doing a nice imitation of Eddie Jones in Utah playoff games.

Even with so much focus on O’Neal, Rice hasn’t been able find much room against San Antonio, has made no big-moment shots, and is shooting only 40%.

On Friday, Rice repeated what he has said consistently throughout his Laker tenure: He isn’t someone who thrives waiting for O’Neal to dump it back outside; he needs screens and quick cuts to open angles for his jump shooting.

“It’s gone to the point where I’m just standing--buried out on the wing or buried deep in the corner,” Rice said.

“It’s definitely somewhat of a mystery. I think when you have a thing that’s working, you would tend to stick to it. There’s a lot of times when we stray away from it.”

Why isn’t there more movement in the Laker offense?

“I have no idea,” Rice said. “That’s a question for the coach.”

Coach Kurt Rambis has maintained that if the Lakers run the offense the way they are supposed to, everybody will share the ball and baskets will come--from Rice or whomever is open.

Meanwhile, O’Neal has reacted to the Spur double- and triple-teaming by screaming at the officials for not calling enough fouls, by trying but failing to find open teammates--he has only two assists--and by grumbling about the conspiracies against him.

“I try not to complain that much,” O’Neal said. “Those who know the game know what’s going on. Know that I’m held back by the system, not players.

“No player, no human can really do much. The system holds me back. You guys see it. So I really don’t have to say much.”

Apparently, the conspiracies may not be confined to the officials.

O’Neal was instrumental in the trade of Jones and Elden Campbell for Rice and J.R. Reid, in the signing--but not the releasing--of Rodman, and the coaching switch from Harris to Rambis.

Because of his influence in those moves, and his reputation as the game’s most physically dominant player, does O’Neal feel particularly responsible for the Laker outcome this season?

“No. But whether we win or lose, you guys are probably going to blame it on me, anyway,” O’Neal said. “That’s been happening all of my life.

“That’s life. I’ll never be able to change it.”

Back again, two days in May to decide how much really has changed.

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Hole’s Two Big

The Lakers haven’t won a series after losing the first two games since defeating the San Francisco Warriors in the 1969 Western Conference semifinals. Here is what they have done since:

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Year Team Series Result 1971 Milwaukee Con. Final 4-1 1974 Milwaukee Con. Semi. 4-1 1977 Portland Con. Final 4-0 1979 Seattle Con. Semi. 4-1 1983 Philadelphia NBA Final 4-0 1989 Detroit NBA Final 4-0 1995 San Antonio Con. Semi. 4-2 1997 Utah Con. Semi. 4-1 1998 Utah Con. Final 4-0

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