This Is the Rice They Want to See

With the playoffs right around the corner, Glen Rice made his biggest shot of the season Monday--a fallaway 21-footer to send the game into overtime against Seattle--and his teammates said it couldn’t have come at a better time for his confidence and their comfort.

“It’s always great to see Glen get his shot,” forward Robert Horry said. “We always wonder why he doesn’t just shoot the ball more.

“If a guy gives you an inch, a half-inch, just shoot the ball. Who on the team is going to say anything? You’ve got the best stroke in the business, just shoot it.”

Rice scored 28 points against the SuperSonics, most notably by driving to the basket in the space created by the absence of Shaquille O’Neal and getting to the line 15 times, making 14.

“Glen’s a guy who we know can shoot the basketball,” guard Ron Harper said, “and we need him.”

Before Monday, Rice had gone eight games without scoring 20 points or more, including a wobbly four-game stretch when he averaged nine points and shot 38.9% after missing the March 29 victory at Vancouver because of a stomach virus.

“Glen’s a guy who always seems to have nine lives,” Coach Phil Jackson said last week. “He keeps coming back all the time.”

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The Lakers, who finished the season series 3-1 against Seattle, including a victory without O’Neal, finish up against another potential first-round matchup, the Sacramento Kings, Friday at Staples Center.

The high-speed Kings, who won two of three games against the Lakers last season, beat the Lakers once this season and their frantic style took them to the limit in two other meetings.

So would Seattle--whose victory over the Lakers came at Staples on a final three-pointer by Gary Payton--be a better first-round foe for the Lakers than the Kings?

“As opposed to a Sacramento team which has the last couple years [been] befuddling to the Lakers, Seattle seems to be a better team for us,” Jackson said.

Said Harper: “Seattle will be fine. We would love to see them early.”