Unnerved Stojakovic Gets Out-Foxed Again

Peja Stojakovic ran into Rick Fox again Tuesday night. Boy, did he. He ran into him, but couldn’t run around him. Or past him. Or do much of anything against him.

By the time the Lakers had polished off the Kings for a 96-90 victory and a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series, Peja’s ears were pulsating with the sounds of Fox’s footsteps.

Only these weren’t normal footsteps; these were steel drums.

“Peja’s finding out what the playoffs are all about,” said Magic Johnson, with a grin. “Rick is taking away what he likes to do. What he has to do now is find a way to score some baskets to get his confidence back.

“And he can do that. He just needs to be aggressive and move around more.”

The bottom line?

The Kings won’t win a game unless Stojakovic gets his groove back.

After averaging 23.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in the opening-round series against the Phoenix Suns, and exploding for a 37-point outing in the clinching Game 4, he has been completely knocked off rhythm. He looks like a schoolboy again. He looks completely unnerved and totally overmatched.

Though the third-year forward finished with 20 points and six rebounds, he was two for nine entering the final period, having scored only a baseline jumper and a breakaway dunk.

His 14-point fourth quarter was one of those after-the-fact deals, with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant taking over in the deciding third period. O’Neal, Bryant and that Lakers defense.

“It wasn’t just my defense on Stojakovic,” said Fox later. “It was our defense on everyone.”

True, but no one has done this to Stojakovic in a long, long time. Maybe not since his rookie year, when he had stretches where he was tentative and often thought twice before shooting. That Stojakovic supposedly disappeared, succeeded by a stronger, smarter, more confident 23-year-old.

But not against Fox. He made a few shots late, but none when it mattered.

If he goes backdoor, Fox extends an arm to prevent the pass. If he spots up in the corners, Fox is there again, in his face, arm in the air. If he tries his rocker step from the wings, Fox moves with him, never missing a beat.

“I have to keep playing, keep being aggressive,” said Stojakovic, who plans to work on his post-up moves and movement off screens. “I have to keep taking it to the hole and shooting.

“We have two days off in-between [games]. We can improve our game.”