Lakers Pass Test of Their Mettle

By TIM KAWAKAMI

April 17, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Imagine the same scenario, three or four weeks from now, the whole world watching and the Lakers teetering between victory and defeat, success and painful failure.

One play, meaning everything.

Picture a hot shooter, popping wide open. Watch him grab the ball and face up, ready to send a dart to the heart of Laker Title-Run 2000.

Kobe Bryant could see it all Sunday, with the clock expiring and Terrell Brandon running away from him, set to tie the score with less than 10 seconds left.

This was happening, and it had to be stopped.

“I thought,” Bryant said, “I was beat for sure.”

But Bryant made up about 10 feet in a split-second, forced Brandon into a panicky pass that Glen Rice snared, and the Lakers took a tense, 101-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves before 18,912 at Staples Center in the final home game of the regular season.

“I’ve been telling a lot of people that I’m trying to become a defensive specialist,” said Rice, who made several key defensive plays down the stretch.

Said Bryant, who scored 25 points and had 10 assists: “Our confidence just keeps on building on the defensive end. We keep coming up with huge stops.”

And so the Lakers (67-13), who clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs April 5 and have been in cruise control ever since, pulled out another war-game victory, this one effectively simulating potential playoff emergency situations.

With Minnesota running hot in the second half, the Lakers, in the final exchanges, were presented with a three-step challenge:

1. Get points in a half-court set, which they did, with Shaquille O’Neal (33 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists) scoring five points in the last 2:35 and Bryant drawing back-to-back fouls in the last 43.6 seconds.

Bryant’s crucial play came with seven seconds left, when he burst past Wally Szczerbiak into the lane and was fouled by Radoslav Nesterovic, making the free throws that put the Lakers ahead for good.

Was he taking it because Szczerbiak was too slow to guard him? “I didn’t care who was on me, I was going to the cup,” Bryant said.

2. Stop the opponent from scoring at all in the end, which they did, after Minnesota tied it, 95-95, with 27.1 seconds to play.

3. Make their free throws, which they did, converting 27 of 31 (11 for 11 by Bryant and five for eight by O’Neal), including their last 12 in a row.

“I thought we had the kind of game I like to have at this time of the year,” said Coach Phil Jackson of Game No. 80. “It was a good game, to take one out of the fire. . . .”

For the Lakers, this last week--the season closes with games in Dallas on Tuesday and San Antonio on Wednesday--is not so much about winning as maintaining a sense of dominance.

The Timberwolves battled the Lakers throughout the game, and even led by five late, but the Laker players were pleased that they still were able to perform their best when it was necessary.

“If we lost this game today, it would’ve been a letdown,” said Rice, who had a tougher time on the offensive side, scoring only 11 points on three-for-10 shooting. “We don’t have any business losing to this team. . . .

“We want to go into the playoffs with a positive note. We want to go in there with momentum on our side.”

Minnesota (49-31), for its part, is looking for playoff momentum of its own, and could match up with the Lakers at some point of the Western Conference playoffs.

Against the Lakers, Kevin Garnett (15 points, 15 rebounds) and Brandon (18 points, nine assists) found open spaces, especially in the second half, and the Timberwolves found reason to be optimistic.

“There’s no fun in losing, but I think we found matchups defensively that work against them,” Szczerbiak said.

“Kobe, I think I can pressure up on him, move my feet and make him work. And the other guys did a good job on Glen Rice.

“But when they get the calls down the stretch, they’re tough to beat at home.”

J.A. ADANDE

If Rick Fox seems a little distracted during the playoffs, it’s because his wife is expecting the couple’s first child in May. Page 6

LAKER RECORD IN GAMES DECIDED BY:

0-5 points 10-3

6-9 23-4

10-19 21-5

20-29 10-1

30+ 3-0

LAKER RECORD ON: