Falling Rock Has Horry Taking Aim

Robert Horry said he didn’t go into Saturday’s Game 1 knowing he would be taking many more shots than usual, it just happened that he felt hot exactly when the Portland Trail Blazers decided not to guard him too closely.

“It was just one of those days, you come out and you shoot the rock and it’s falling and guys are looking for you,” said Horry, who finished with 12 points after making three of his five three-pointers in a second-quarter flurry.

“It’s a good feeling. You just want to keep putting it up there as much as possible. I wasn’t aggressive, I just took the shots that were given me. The first shot I took, [the defender] was off me. The next shot I made. . . .

“And once I make two shots, I’m going to shot that next one. You know Phil [Jackson]’s going to be hollering, ‘NO! NO!’ [but] I’m going to test it out, see if it’s falling.”

Jackson said he looks for his second unit to take the open three-pointers when they are there.

“We have guys who can shoot that shot,” Jackson said. “Robert obviously and Rick [Fox] can shoot that shot and Derek Fisher can shoot his three-pointer.

“So we feel comfortable about our second unit going out there and shooting that shot. We’re going to do it. We’re going to continue doing it.”

Horry also attacked the rim with his dribble in the second quarter when he drew Rasheed Wallace’s third foul and completed the lay-up, to give the Lakers a 10-point lead.

“It was an open lane,” Horry said. “And I’ve been working on that in practice trying to get to the basket, just try to switch it up. Because most people say, ‘You’ve got to play his three and he’s done.’ ”

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Free tickets to watch live television coverage of Games 3 and 4 at Portland on 1,200 monitors at Staples Center will be distributed at 10 a.m. Monday at the Staples box office and Ticketmaster retail ticket centers.

Tickets will not be distributed through Ticketmaster phone lines.