Fox Wants More Energy and Intellect

Rick Fox might have spent a few moments of Wednesday, a day off for the Lakers, pulling his slacks away from his floor burns.

As for treatment of his wounds, it’s unlikely he could have gone to many of his teammates for advice.

As a rule, the Lakers haven’t played frantically.

Fortunately for them, they have the two best players in the game, so they often haven’t had to. They’re 18-9. They’ve won three in a row. And everybody knows the season isn’t even warming up until NBC mikes its first irritable coach.

But Fox knows. The defense has been terrible. The effort has been spotty.

As a result, the Lakers are vulnerable to the late loose balls and bounces and calls.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been snake-bitten, because we’re blessed to be 18-9,” Fox said. “But we still have created a lot of those [situations] for ourselves. Hence, the nine losses. The more we play with energy and the more we play with intellect, I think the more the basketball gods will spill some of those [positive] things on us.”

In the closing minutes of Tuesday’s victory in Miami, the Heat led, 76-75. Heat guard Tim Hardaway missed a long jumper and the rebound rolled to the left side. Brian Grant had it, then lost it when Fox dove to the ball, tearing it from Grant’s grasp. They landed together, Fox having shoved the basketball ahead.

On the possession, Shaquille O’Neal banked in a 12-foot jumper. The Lakers would not trail again.

“We’re not a team, well, we haven’t been--I like to speak in hopes that we can become better, that’s what the season is all about, improving as you go along,” Fox said. “But we haven’t been the best scrapping, loose-ball-getting, charge-taking team. That’s imperative when you talk about being a successful team in the playoffs. You have to be hungrier for the ball than your opponent. You have to get your hands on steals, deflections, all of the telltale signs of a good defensive team. I think we’ve definitely been alerted--that we’re going to have to be a better defensive team.”

*

Kobe Bryant smiled.

It was that question again, except that people rarely so flatly ask him about his relationship with O’Neal anymore. They figure they know, and they probably do.

With dozens of people squirming through the tiny locker room in Miami late Tuesday night, Bryant considered the blurted question again, the many notebooks and cameras that surrounded him, and he narrowed his eyes.

“We get in fistfights every day,” he said, grinning. “We throw chairs at each other, coolers at each other, you know what I mean? I hit him with a stun gun yesterday, as a matter of fact. Shook him up a little bit.”

Must have been at the free-throw line.

“Yeah, that was at the free-throw line, shake him up. Bzzzt.”

Then he loped off after the team bus, laughing.

*

O’Neal is in one of his worst free-throw slumps, and that might have been why he left without talking to reporters Tuesday night. He rarely shirks that duty, annoying as it might be.

But he is 17 for 61 (27.9%) from the line in his last six-plus games, dragging his overall rate to 37.8%. Most of the attempts are hitting the front rim.

“It’s the ebb and flow of the NBA basketball player,” Fox said. “Let’s hope Shaq is inconsistent for about three more months with his free throws, and then the flow will come back around, the whole Zen of the thing will be perfect for the playoffs.”

TONIGHT

at Houston, 5:30 PST

Channel 9

* Site--Compaq Center.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 18-9, Rockets 13-11.

* Record vs. Rockets--1-1.

* Update--Last time in Houston, Nov. 7, the Lakers scored a season-low 74 points in a dismal loss. O’Neal and Bryant combined to make 15 of 35 field-goal attempts and the Rocket guards ran the Lakers ragged. Five days later, Bryant scored 37 points and took 10 rebounds, and the Lakers scored 105 points in a victory at Staples Center.