L.A. Might Just Drive Pacers Crazy

Los Angeles stepped up like a champion Wednesday. I’m not talking about the Lakers. I’m talking about Los Angeles. You know, the City of Angels, all of whom drive. It’s like they say. “Nobody flies in this town.”

Between their hotel near the beach in Santa Monica and Staples Center downtown, the bus carrying the Indiana Pacers to their Game 1 assignment against the Lakers in the NBA finals got stuck in traffic. Imagine that.

The Pacers apparently didn’t. Maybe they don’t have rush hour in Indianapolis. Traffic there is when you get stuck behind a tractor or waiting for the chicken to cross the road.

The Pacers had hoped to arrive at Staples Center two hours early for a 6 p.m. game. That would give them a chance to shoot around a little in a building where they had played only twice--once against the Clippers--find the restrooms, talk some things over. To get downtown from Santa Monica at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, we all know you have to leave about--what--7 a.m.?

The Pacers left late, too late. They sent all sorts of scouts out to Los Angeles and Portland for the Western Conference semifinals so they would have plans in the finals for Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Glen Rice, etc. They were prepared for the Lakers, or about as prepared as they were going to be. But they forgot to scout the 10 Freeway.

They arrived at Staples Center at 4:45 p.m., barely enough time to find the locker room, change into their uniforms and take the floor for the opening tipoff.

Welcome to L.A.

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The Pacers looked Wednesday night like a lot of out-of-towners who have had a bad experience with the L.A. traffic. (What other kind is there?) Frustrated. Harried. Ready to go home. Beaten before they even started.

Indiana’s first shot, by center Rik Smits, was an air ball. From about two feet.

It got worse. The Pacers led, 2-0, and never again.

The conventional wisdom that the Pacers wouldn’t have anyone to guard O’Neal inside proved to be just plain wisdom. Dale Davis tried. Smits tried. Sam Perkins tried. They double-teamed and triple-teamed. It didn’t matter.

After his hand-to-hand combat in the semifinals with Portland’s Arvydas Sabonis and a wave of Trail Blazers, this was like a night off for O’Neal.

He made 10 of 14 field-goal attempts in the first half, most of them dunks, and scored 21 points. He also had seven rebounds. The Lakers led by 17 late in the first quarter, by 12 at halftime.

OK. The Pacers, knowing they were outmanned at center, sort of expected Shaq to come up big.

What they didn’t expect was that Reggie Miller, the man they counted on to match O’Neal point for point, would be a no-show for much of the first three quarters.

The rest of the Pacers might have been intimidated by Los Angeles, but surely not Miller. Here’s a man who takes on New York City as though he’s King Kong. Or Gerald Ford. (Remember the famous New York Daily News headline? “Ford to New York City: Drop Dead”) and gives as good as he gets.

Besides, Miller is as Southern California as a jacuzzi. He grew up in Riverside and played college basketball at UCLA. But maybe he’s been in the Midwest too long. Or maybe he needs Spike Lee to really get his blood boiling and his jump shot falling.

He missed his first eight shots from the field. He didn’t score a point until 8:19 remained in the third quarter, and that was on a free throw. His first field goal came with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter. By then, O’Neal had 27 points.

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The Pacers didn’t play as though they had hay stuck behind their ears all night long.

For a while, it seemed as if they might even re-create the movie “Hoosiers,” coming back behind the play off the bench of a less-famous Angeleno, Austin Croshere, to within two points of the Lakers late in the third quarter.

But the Pacers couldn’t quite overcome their poor start. The Lakers prevailed, 104-87.

Who knew Los Angeles would still know how to act like a title town?

The last time the Lakers were in the finals, the Forum really was Fabulous. A.C. Green was a 27-year-old power forward for the Lakers and still a virgin. (OK, he’s still a power forward for the Lakers and still a virgin, but he’s 36.) Perkins was a hero, not for the Pacers but for the Lakers. Phil Jackson was coaching, for the Bulls. Michael Jordan was a great player, but there was a question about whether he was a great champion.

That’s how long ago it was, 1991.

But Los Angeles was ready for Game 1. The team and the city.

The Pacers have to make adjustments before Friday night’s Game 2 at Staples Center. One suggestion would be for them to leave the hotel earlier. Or take surface streets. Finding Miller’s jump shot would help. More important might be a Thomas Guide.

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Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com