They Hope Fans Haven’t Given Up Yet

Even Trail Blazers get embarrassed at the stuff they do sometimes.

After coming unglued in an elbow-and-technical-foul exhibition at the end of Game 2, some of them are owning up to the fact that they’ve looked better in their time.

“I hope the fans can somehow be with us,” Damon Studamire said. “It’s a tough situation for everybody.

“I know that a lot of people are down on us and disappointed in our play, but I still don’t feel like anybody’s more disappointed than the people that have to put on the uniforms every day and play.

“So the bottom line is, people can be disappointed at us, but at the end of the day, I think we’ll look in the mirror and be even more disappointed.

“Hopefully, we can get off to a good start, get them behind us and get this gym rockin’ like it used to be.”

*

Not that they’re desperate but:

Coach Mike Dunleavy made a last-ditch appeal to get someone in NBA headquarters to review Stacey Augmon’s suspension for leaving the bench in the confusion after the Dale Davis-Robert Horry incident.

Dunleavy concedes Augmon was on the floor, but notes it was only because he was reporting into the game.

“If the letter of the law says he comes on the court, then he should be suspended, they [Lakers] had Horace Grant and Rick Fox who came off their bench and crossed the three-point line,” Dunleavy said.

“And Stacey didn’t do one thing, other than drift on the court. . . . Whistle blew. He walks on the court to tell whoever he was going in for to come out. I mean, he wasn’t holding anyone back, he wasn’t talking to anyone, he wasn’t doing anything.”

A day after the league’s announcement, Dunleavy hadn’t heard back from anyone in the NBA office, and Augmon’s suspension is expected to stand.

Dunleavy isn’t saying anything about Davis’ suspension for elbowing Horry. That’s open and shut.

*

Dunleavy has always depended on strength in numbers to defend against Shaquille O’Neal, who overmatches any single Trail Blazer.

Now, with Davis out, there’s one less Trail Blazer.

Starter Arvydas Sabonis is 36, plays on two surgically repaired Achilles’ tendons and doesn’t usually last long against the more-mobile O’Neal, who piles fouls up on him in a hurry. Sabonis averaged 24 minutes against the Lakers this season and four fouls a game.

Dunleavy probably will use 6-foot-11 Rasheed Wallace to guard O’Neal, along with reserves Will Perdue and Antonio Harvey.

“Well, we just keep throwing the guys out there that we have and do the best job we do,” Dunleavy said. “Next biggest guy goes. . . .

“Kitchen sink, basically. Throw everything at ‘em.