There’s Webber, Plus Formidable Supporting Cast

The Kings got a complete team effort Tuesday night--I think one of the ball boys even grabbed a rebound--to pull even with the Lakers.

But the reason Staples Center will be needed for Game 5 on Friday night is Chris Webber has taken control of the series.

Every loose ball chased down by Tony Delk, every three-point shot made by Jon Barry only adds to the foundation built by Webber.

He set his career playoff high with 29 points and tied his career playoff high with 14 rebounds in Game 3 Sunday.

He came back Tuesday night with 23 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, seven blocked shots and four steals.

“I just wanted to set the tone,” he said. “It felt like a college game--so much emotion flowing through me. You have to be able to calm yourself down.”

His leadership has been questioned, and his response has been to say that he isn’t the type to be a cheerleader on the court. (Even if he does demonstrate some good moves in that commercial with the Kings’ dance team).

With games like this, he doesn’t have to say a word.

He had one of his big hands involved in almost every play that mattered for the Kings.

A small sampling:

He did damage inside for 13 first-half points.

“I wanted to get into the paint and start us off early, just be aggressive,” Webber said.

He set the tone on defense as well, coming to the baseline to swat a layup by Shaquille O’Neal in the first half.

He made two jump shots for Sacramento’s first baskets of the second half. When the jumpers stopped falling, he did what any smart player should do and started taking it inside and drew a foul on O’Neal.

He directed traffic on offense, setting up his players and passing to Barry and Predrag Stojakovic for jump shots.

He stepped out to the top of the key and tipped a Glen Rice attempt in the second half, and the Kings went down and got a three-pointer from Nick Anderson.

After Kobe Bryant made a jumper over him to bring the Lakers to within eight, Webber got the ball at the top of the key. He snarled, like a bull angry to see a trespasser in his pasture. He squared up, took a jab step, then released a shot over Robert Horry.

Webber made the play of the night, reaching in for a steal on Kobe Bryant, rolling downcourt and dropping a behind-the-back pass to Stojakovic, who gave it back to Webber for a dunk.

He knocked the ball away from Glen Rice to start another fast break that resulted in a Delk free throw. When he was double-teamed by Shaq and Robert Horry, he threw a behind-the-back pass to Vlade Divac, who was coming through the lane and dunked on Kobe Bryant, giving the Kings a 10-point lead with 3:08 remaining.

“It was a necessity,” Webber said of his behind-the-back passes. “When Vlade comes behind me, I couldn’t see over Big Shaq.”

As much as the supporting casts can do to set the stage, playoff games are decided by the big names making big plays. Webber made more important plays than O’Neal, Bryant and Rice combined.

On the off day, Webber broke it down like this: You spend the summer working on your game, then play all season to get to the playoffs and advance. If you go out in the first round, that’s another year of your life wasted. It’s been seven pointless years for Webber.

He made the playoffs as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors in 1993-94 and got swept by the Phoenix Suns.

He waited three years to get back, then got swept in Washington by the Chicago Bulls.

He finally won a playoff game--two in fact, and quite nearly the deciding fifth game in Utah--last year. But when it was time for the second round to begin he was making tee times with Barry.

Not only did he fail to advance, he couldn’t even stay on the court while still eligible. He fouled out of four of his first 11 playoff games, then fouled out after 27 minutes in the first game of this series.

Even in Game 2, his worst game of the series, he still managed 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. He wasn’t discouraged because the effort was there, even if he made only eight of 28 shots.

Webber’s play Tuesday night gave him one more chance to keep this season from being a waste of his time. Now he can win one more game and force the Lakers to throw one of the finest regular seasons in NBA history into the trash can.

“It would’ve been so easy to quit the other day,” Webber said “It would’ve been so easy to lose and start our vacation early and say we lost to some good guys.

“But we’re going back to L.A.”

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com

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Do or Die

How the Lakers have fared in final possible game of a playoff series since 1981:

* 1981: Lost to Houston, 89-86, in Game 3 of first round

* 1984: Lost to Boston, 111-102, in Game 7 of NBA finals

* 1988: Defeated Utah, 109-98, in Game 7 of conference semifinals

* 1988: Defeated Dallas, 117-102, in Game 7 of conference finals

* 1988: Defeated Detroit, 108-105, in Game 7 of NBA finals

* 1993: Lost to Phoenix, 112-104, in Game 5 of first round