Horry: Reserves Ready to Do What Is Necessary

While most reporters swarmed around the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Coach Phil Jackson after practice Thursday, reserves Robert Horry, Tyronn Lue and Devean George quietly went about business as usual.

They, along with Brian Shaw, Mark Madsen and Ron Harper, who is expected to return to action after being sidelined most of the last three months because of a knee injury, are the Lakers’ key reserves and are used to being overshadowed.

But that doesn’t mean they will not play key roles in the Lakers’ second-round matchup with the Sacramento Kings.

“Each bench goes by how the starters are playing,” said Horry, who played 23 minutes a game in the Lakers’ three-game first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. “If the starters are playing well, they are like us, they will just fill in. But if they aren’t, their bench will [try to do] more.”

Since the playoffs began, Sacramento Coach Rick Adelman has shortened his playing rotation. Bobby Jackson gets heavy minutes at point guard and usually plays the entire fourth quarter in place of starter Jason Williams. Scot Pollard has emerged as a valuable backup at power forward and center, and rookie small forward Hidayet Turkoglu gets time to provide another outside shooting threat.

But just because the Kings seldom go beyond eight deep, the Laker reserves are not taking a laid-back approach to the series.

Lue, who played only 19 minutes in the first round, realizes his importance as a backup for starter Derek Fisher, who will be counted on to control Williams and Jackson, two offense-minded point guards.

“With my speed and defensive intensity, I think I match up pretty well with them,” Lue said. “When I get my chance, I just want to go in there, pick them up full court and try to disrupt their offense as much as I can.

“Fish has been playing real well but if something happens, I will be ready to be a piece of the puzzle for us.”

Whereas Shaw and Harper will be counted on heavily for their experience, George knows the Lakers will be looking for him to knock down shots from the perimeter. In three games against Portland, he made four of seven shots, among them his only three-point attempt.

“We want to match and outplay their bench,” George said. “When our starters and the guys who play a lot of minutes for us are trying to rest, it’s big for us to come in and not to lose anything.

“We know we’re going to get open looks. . . . We just have to take our time and knock them down with confidence.”

*

Kobe Bryant, recuperating from sore left ribs he aggravated Tuesday, did not practice Thursday. He watched from the sideline and received treatment. He told teammates he expected to practice today and to be at full strength Sunday for Game 1.

Backup center Greg Foster, who has played sparingly since midseason, is limping severely on his sprained right foot and probably won’t be available until later in the series, if at all. Foster, who suffered the injury when O’Neal landed on his foot during Tuesday’s practice, was on crutches Wednesday. He is day to day. Madsen may open the second round as the main backup to O’Neal.