Lakers Still Dome-Struck

OK, so it looks bad. The Lakers have a two-game losing streak and it’ll be at least Sunday before there is anything they can do about it, since they don’t play again until then.

And no matter what happens in the coming weeks, or the coming months, there will be all these losses to the San Antonio Spurs to answer for, eight in nine games including the playoffs, and six in a row at the Alamodome.

The Lakers lost, 91-81, on Wednesday night, matching their 10-point loss in Houston the night before with a very similar one here.

But the Lakers weren’t angry. Not at all. Disappointed, maybe, because the offense still isn’t even near where they’d like it, despite Kobe Bryant’s season-high 32 points. Dissatisfied, certainly, with three defeats in six games.

But calm.

Must be the tai chi.

“We’re a team that builds momentum,” Coach Phil Jackson said just before gathering himself for his push to the luxury bus parked outside.

First though, from behind a spotlight, a voice came to Jackson. The question, is he worried about the 3-3 record, caused Jackson to smile. His mustache curled. The fuzz under his lip tightened. He answered, finally, “You want me to laugh?”

When he received no answer, he continued, “I predicted after 10 games we would be around 5-5. So we expected this.”

They played better. They still missed a lot of shots. They still had too many turnovers. Shaquille O’Neal shot poorly for a second consecutive game. They haven’t played a thorough game since opening night, and the more often Portland loses the less thorough even that looks.

“I messed it up,” said O’Neal, who made five of 13 field-goal attempts and three of 10 free-throw attempts for 13 points. “That was my fault.”

This, however, was at least as much about San Antonio.

Tim Duncan scored 22 points and David Robinson scored 16. Derek Anderson also scored 16, but they barely count since he was the one getting lit up by Bryant most of the night.

The Spurs outscored the Lakers, 18-2, to start the second quarter, which pretty well answered a 12-0 Laker run at the conclusion of the first. While the Lakers drew to within 56-55 midway through the third quarter, they lost touch again by the end of the quarter. Robert Horry made three three-pointers in nine possessions spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, and still the Spurs could not be pushed.

“It was what I expected,” Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said. “It was a very aggressive game, very hard fought.

“It was a good team effort against the best team in the league.”

Finally, it had a little something to do with the officiating. The Lakers did not shoot a free throw in the second half.

“I don’t understand that,” Jackson said.

There was a sense among the Lakers, however, that they found something here. Even as they rued their missed shots and their clunky offensive rhythm, they maintained they played harder than they did against the Rockets. They insisted that what is broken can be mended, both as a team and individually.

“Been there before,” said Rick Fox, who missed six of seven shots from the floor. “It’s nothing new. Not the first time. Won’t be the last time. In a career of percentages, you just ride the wave.

“We’re searching for it. It’s not a shooting thing. When we’re playing, those shots go down.”

O’Neal passed the time before the bus departed by petting Benoit Benjamin’s fur coat. Benjamin was wearing it at the time. It seemed to lift O’Neal’s spirits.

Bryant, not far away, said he was content that his 31 shots came in the flow of the offense. With O’Neal missing regularly from close in--”my chippies,” as he so fondly calls them--Bryant went to his one-on-one game. He beat Anderson and then Sean Elliott regularly, particularly in the first half, when he scored 24 points.

“I was just shooting right over [Anderson’s] hands,” Bryant said. “I didn’t think he was capable of getting to my jump shots. Then, with Sean’s knees, I didn’t think he could stop and recover.”

Even with Bryant scoring, and even with Horace Grant making his 15-footers, the Spurs would not budge from their strategy to smother O’Neal.

“They did a good job of plugging the lane,” Bryant said. “They’re always great at that.”

The Lakers did what they could while arguing that too many players still don’t get the triangle. O’Neal, who had those 13 shots in 44 minutes, mentioned again that they have to play more intelligently, and added that he figured they would soon. Jackson too saw signs.

“We played harder,” Jackson said. “We played better. We played with more intensity, and that helps.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Los Angeles Lakers

Some thought the Lakers wouldn’t miss outside threat Glen Rice, but after a 3-3 start and poor shooting the Lakers are left wondering. The Lakers shot .459 as a team last season. A look at their start:

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at PORTLAND

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Score FG% FT% TO 96-86 W .571 .633 20

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UTAH

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Score FG% FT% TO 97-92 L .430 .618 12

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at VANCOUVER

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Score FG% FT% TO 98-89 W .487 .594 19

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CLIPPERS

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Score FG% FT% TO 108-103 W .419 .722 9

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at HOUSTON

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Score FG% FT% TO 84-74 L .418 .609 19

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at SAN ANTONIO

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Score FG% FT% TO 91-81 L .474 .364 18

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ALSO

Isaiah Rider is a few minutes late to the Alamodome, but he has a written excuse and all is forgiven. The San Antonio hotel forgot to give him his wake-up call. D7