Third Quarter Is Lakers’ Demise

It was Phil Jackson’s nightmare scenario.

Things were normal for a half. Then . . . everything . . . about . . . the Laker offense . . . slowed down . . . then . . . stopped. Cold.

It was one devastating third quarter, on the way to a potentially series-altering 106-77 Trail Blazer victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, which evened the series, 1-1.

In that stretch, Jackson found out what Scottie Pippen would look like inside the Laker offense, inside of Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey, inside of everything and anything the Lakers tried to do.

He found out what Rasheed Wallace could do too, Wallace swamping O’Neal and Kobe Bryant on double-teams, slapping away loose basketballs, and flipping in three-pointers on the other side.

The other Lakers, so effective in Game 1, did not answer the bell in this one.

And everybody--Jackson, the Trail Blazers, the Laker players, the stunned 18,997 at Staples Center--saw what happens when the Laker offense screeches to a complete, awful halt, 12 minutes of flailing, frazzling, fumbling offensive frustration.

The Lakers scored only eight points in the third quarter, made only two of 15 shots and were outscored at one point, 20-0, handing the Trail Blazers a 76-53 lead at the end of three quarters. Their eight points in the quarter matched the franchise’s all-time playoff low.

Wallace took care of all Portland needed on offense, scoring 29 points in 46 minutes--or 30 more than he played in Game 1, when he was ejected in the third quarter.

Pippen had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, statistics that did not reflect his control of this game.

IN QUOTES

“They got all the calls, they hit all their shots. No one said it’s going to be easy. Now we’ve got our hands full.”

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL,

Laker center

THE SERIES

Series tied, 1-1