Miller, Rose Keep Indiana in Hunt

They might have been champions in waiting, but they could look like jesters one last time.

Thereby dragging the whole show back to L.A. one more time.

You know them too well by now: The Lakers pick their spots, and Conseco Fieldhouse against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5, with a chance to clinch an NBA title, was not one of them.

Not even close.

For the fourth consecutive playoff round, the Lakers followed one of their finest hours with several of their worst, dropping behind early, and then getting dropped cold, 120-87, before a jubilant and somewhat astonished 18,345.

Kobe Bryant followed his thrilling Game 4 performance with a four-for-20 shooting clinker.

Jalen Rose, with 32 points, and Reggie Miller, with 25, found all the open spaces they needed, shot the lights out early--jumping Indiana to a 64-45 halftime lead--and then kept firing darts into the heart of Laker comebacks.

The Pacers made 39 of their 68 shots (57.4%), 10 of their 20 three-point tries, and 32 of 36 free throws, a statistical combination that the Lakers could not meet, approach or survive.

The Lakers, who had pulled out a dramatic overtime victory in Game 4 at Conseco, still led this series, 3-2, with the final two games set for Staples Center, where the Lakers were 10-2 in the playoffs and where they had posted strong victories over Indiana in Games 1 and 2.

This was the Lakers’ worst loss of the season, at a distinctly inappropriate moment--when the world was measuring them for championship rings, and announcing the potential beginning of a dynasty.

IN QUOTES

“We laid an egg. We’ve laid an egg before, how many times? I don’t keep count. We just laid an egg tonight. . . . We shall return.”

RON HARPER,

Laker guard

THE SERIES

Lakers lead, 3-2