Webber Not Expected to Be Weak Link

Sacramento forward Chris Webber grimaces a lot and occasionally favors his left ankle, but the Lakers have found little film evidence the lingering injury has made him vulnerable.

“I haven’t heard anything, other than speculation announcers have made that he doesn’t look as active,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “But I think Chris knows he’s going to be playing 40-plus minutes every night and he paces himself. So I don’t know if it’s reality or if early in the game he paces himself and sets a tone for the game as to how he’s going to play and make it through.”

Should the Lakers advance out of the Western Conference, they will have gone up against most of the great power forwards in the game, Webber among them. They’ve already vanquished enigmatic Rasheed Wallace, and the winner of this series probably gets San Antonio’s Tim Duncan.

Horace Grant and Robert Horry did most of the work on Wallace, as they will on Webber, who shot 37% in three regular-season games against the Lakers.

“Rasheed doesn’t shoot as many hooks,” Horry said. “Webber likes to do that little hook shot where he comes to the middle. It’s probably his No. 1 go-to shot. Rasheed just faces you up and uses his quickness to try to go by you. They’re two different styles. Webber will try to face you up and try to go by you, but when it comes down to it he’ll try to use the jump hook.”

Against Portland, Jackson employed a power forward rotation, with the sturdy Grant playing primarily in the first and third quarters and the lankier, poke-checking Horry playing the even quarters. Grant played nearly 30 minutes a game against Sacramento in the regular season, however.

“They’re both the same size, they’re both the same type,” Jackson said of Grant and Webber. “Tall, athletic, mobile, athletic-kind of players. Chris is a more active offensive player than Horace is, but Horace is a good defensive player against that type of performer. It’s not going to be Horace alone doing that job. It’s going to be Rob and the other people we send around Webber to help crowd the court for him.”

The game changes slightly for Shaquille O’Neal in this series, as the Kings send Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard at him. They won’t challenge O’Neal’s shots, but they will try to draw offensive fouls.

Arvydas Sabonis tried a similar strategy, only farther from the basket, as his massive body occasionally was able to stall O’Neal out of the lane.

“Divac flops,” Jackson said. “He’s just a flopper. He’s just going to try to take charges. They’re going to try to get fouls on Shaq early. They’re good at it, though. They played us well last year. And Webber’s a big help guy.”

So, Kobe Bryant is among People’s 50 Most Beautiful people, a list exactly 48 beauties longer than the very exclusive O’Neal Rating.

“I’m not top 50, I’m top two,” he said. “The other? Me. Shaquille and Shaq.”

Ron Harper, who hasn’t played since Feb. 13, is available. For what, exactly, is up to Jackson.

“I’m confident he can play,” Jackson said. “I’m still not sure his reactions are there. I see him filling in in any spot we need him defensively in the course of the game. Offensively, is a ways away for him, I think.”

The last time Harper, 37, was not a regular starter was in 1994, his first season with the Chicago Bulls.

“[Jackson] thought my career was over then,” Harper said, laughing.

King Coach Rick Adelman on overcoming the Lakers’ home-court advantage:

“We’re going to have to win a game down there, so the sooner we do it, the better it’s going to be.”