Off to a Blazing Start

They might never forget it here. They still shake their heads at the celebration that almost came, and instead stuck squarely in their throats.

Phil Jackson, the Laker coach, was in town for 24 hours when he noted, “There’s still blood in the air, so to speak, in this series.”

Portland has tended to view the Lakers’ championship as its failure. The team, the people, probably always will.

The Lakers, of course, could hardly care less. In fact, when it came time to defend their title, the Lakers gladly gave them first crack at it, not that they had any choice.

The Lakers began that defense of their NBA crown Tuesday night at the Rose Garden, where they defeated the Trail Blazers, 96-86, with yet another fourth-quarter run.

Shaquille O’Neal scored 36 points and took 11 rebounds, fortuitous for the Lakers because Kobe Bryant had a dismal game. Isaiah Rider took minutes from Bryant, whose early foul trouble appeared to take him out of his flow, and scored 13 points, seven in the fourth quarter. Horace Grant, who arrived in the trade that was to answer the Trail Blazers’ sudden power-forward surplus, was more than game in the face of Rasheed Wallace, grabbing eight rebounds and scoring five points.

The Trail Blazers had another chance at a fourth quarter. This time, the Lakers did not spot them 15 points. This time, Scottie Pippen was not on the floor. He sprained his left ankle in the first quarter and did not return. This time, they actually made more than a couple of shots. And, still, they were outscored, 29-19. It wasn’t so dramatic. It was good enough for the Lakers.

“It’s going to be a long season,” O’Neal said. “We have to stick to our formula. Nothing was won tonight. Nothing was lost tonight. But, if we keep playing like that, we could rack up a lot of wins.”

The Trail Blazers played to redeem themselves and still have lost to the Lakers in back-to-back games, separated by one very dreary off-season.

Still glowing, and playing with the confidence they predicted their championship would bring, the Lakers were poised down the stretch. They took a 67-67 tie at the outset of the fourth quarter and went to O’Neal. They turned to Rider, who appeared to take particular delight in beating his former teammates in his former town.

“I’m satisfied with my play,” Rider said. “I think it was a good night for the Laker team to fight these guys off. For me to have a decent game was icing on the cake.”

Rider covered for Bryant, who missed seven of 11 shots and scored 14 points.

“I don’t think this is the crossroads, but I think I need to take advantage of this opportunity,” Rider said. “Only a dumb man wouldn’t take advantage of this. So I want to do the right things. I know Phil is very critical, but that’s fine. I have to be a man and rise up to the occasion.”

Though Portland Coach Mike Dunleavy promised a return to his hack-a-Shaq tactics, it was Bryant who spent much of the final seconds at the free-throw line while hefty Shawn Kemp leaned on O’Neal in the corner.

The arena, by then, was quiet, a far cry from the scene almost three hours before.

When the purple line snaked across the court, small to big, Tyronn Lue to O’Neal, the folks in Portland’s Rose Garden stood, almost involuntarily.

They stood in the name of revenge and of a summer misspent, they thought, in the name of defeat. More than that, really. They stood in the name of humiliation, of 13 consecutive shots that wouldn’t go in, of 15 points that would not be answered, of a championship blown five months before in Los Angeles.

On the scoreboard overhead, Trail Blazer management rolled a message. “Last year,” it read, “our dream became a nightmare. Now we’re back and stronger than ever. IT’S TIME to shoot and defend. IT’S TIME for sacrifice and passion. IT’S TIME.”

So they got loud in the name of redemption, as if a game on the final day of October might finally clear their palates, and they splashed Blazer red across their little gray town.

The Lakers shrugged and threw the ball to O’Neal.

For all their hired might, the Trail Blazers were without 7-foot-3 Arvydas Sabonis, who is recovering from knee surgery. So they lacked the body that would slow Shaq, not counting Kemp, who didn’t skip any cupcakes this summer.

They guarded O’Neal with Dale Davis for a while. They tried Will Perdue. They threw Antonio Harvey at him. They sagged their guards. They rotated their forwards.

Ultimately, little of it worked.

When they double- or triple-teamed him, he passed. Late in the first quarter, Ron Harper hit a three-pointer, then Rick Fox hit a three. Late in the second, at the end of a 9-0 Portland run, O’Neal passed deftly out of a triple team to a cutting Lue, who scored on a layup.

When they guarded him straight up, it was worse.

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By The Numbers

24-17 Laker record in opening games since moving to Los Angeles

7-10 Clipper record in opening games since moving to Los Angeles

44 Points for Jerry Stackhouse of Detroit, the league high on opening night

18 Rebounds for Danny Fortson of Golden State, the league high on opening night

21,814 Attendance for the Kings-Bulls game at Chicago, the league high on opening night

11,327 Attendance for the Timberwolves-Rockets game at Houston, the league low on opening night

4 Games, out of 13, that were sellouts on opening night

Game Breakdown

HIGH SCORERS

Lakers

O’Neal, 36

Portland

Wallace, 26

*

MOST REBOUNDS

Lakers

O’Neal, 11

Portland

Wallace, 7

*

FOULS

Lakers, 19

Portland, 28

*

FREE THROW %

Lakers, .633

Portland, .875

*

FIELD GOAL %

Lakers, .571

Portland, .400

ELSEWHERE

Utah 107

Clippers 94

Orlando 97

Washington 86

Charlotte 106

Atlanta 82

Cleveland 86

New Jersey 82

Detroit 104

Toronto 95

Philadelphia 101

New York 72

Dallas 97

Milwaukee 93

Minnesota 106

Houston 98

San Antonio 98

Indiana 85

Sacramento 100

Chicago 81

Golden State 96

Phoenix 94

Vancouver 94

Seattle 88

Coverage

GREEN SIGNS

Former Laker A.C. Green signed a one-year contract with Miami, where he will be reunited with Pat Riley. D7

OPENING NIGHT FLOP

The New York Knicks missed Patrick Ewing’s presence at center while losing to Philadelphia, 101-72. D6