How Low Will They Go?

Shaquille O’Neal left Friday night’s game with nearly three minutes remaining, and a few people clapped, politely.

Kobe Bryant sat to O’Neal’s right half a minute later, and together they stared glumly off at another pre-Christmas loss, at a season they can’t get their arms around.

Another night gone. One more shrug. Last June’s championship growing ever smaller, this June’s ever more unlikely.

At the end of a week in which they didn’t seem particularly fond of each other or of themselves, the Lakers had another ounce of their season, of their invulnerability, drift away.

The New Orleans Hornets defeated them, 98-82, at Staples Center, and then Phil Jackson, the losing coach, applauded the lesson he hoped it brought. The Lakers are 9-15, in a virtual tie for last place in the Pacific Division, now after O’Neal challenged the rest of them to do something, and the rest of them said they’re ready when he is.

“Whatever goes on during the course of the week, obviously it had to be good for a team to come out and have this kind of defeat, to really level out the energy,” Jackson said. “We need to open up the pores and get a good sweat and what that will do, hopefully, is expel the negative things that are going on.

“This team really needed this type of loss. It’s a matter of folding in and fitting in together. It’s not easier to do, nor is it easy to reconcile. They are willful young men in the business and we have to deal with those egos a lot. But, the coach has to sit on his most of the time.”

After the Lakers allowed 60 points in the first half and then scored 34 in the second, Jackson considered how they had fallen. O’Neal has played near his potential for at least the last two games, and the Lakers have lost both. He had 28 points and 10 rebounds against the Hornets, and the Lakers were never closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter, never closer than nine in the second half, after leading by eight in the first quarter.

After Jackson preached defense and ball responsibility for two full practice days, the Lakers allowed 98 points and had 16 turnovers. Worse, after standing at a dismal 3-9 without O’Neal, they are only 6-6 with him, with Jackson preaching patience with the current roster configuration, and General Manager Mitch Kupchak handcuffed by unmovable players.

Jackson said he presumed his team had bottomed out, both in terms of spirit and effort. Asked if he detected doubt among his players, he looked surprised at the very question of it.

“Well,” he said, “they certainly must have doubt.”

Part of Jackson’s touch is in his handling of the regular-season grind. No matter the appearance, Laker teams have arrived into three straight springs with lively legs and clear minds because Jackson did not give in to the allure of 70 wins, or even 60.

They played as hard as they had to, were blistered in the media for playing without fire, were derided for their lapses against the league’s poorer teams, and then won championships, sometimes gliding to them.

It seems Jackson won’t have that luxury this April, as he’ll have had to push the Lakers through defensive possessions, through long trips and back-to-backs, and who knows what other trials.

They’ve changed, there’s little doubt of that now.

“This is the bottom for us,” forward Robert Horry said. “We haven’t been in a situation like this.... You look out there and you try to figure out what you’re doing wrong, whatever we’re not doing right, and what we need to do. We just need to figure it out. It’s like we’re running in mud every time we go out there.”

After playing in Utah on Thursday night, the Hornets scored 29 points in the first quarter and 31 in the second. Jamal Mashburn finished with 21 points. Baron Davis had 18 points and eight assists. The Hornets had seven turnovers and 11 steals and reached most loose balls half a step before the nearest Laker.

“This is as close to the bottom as we can get,” Bryant said.

O’Neal left without speaking. Caught up to in the hallway, he shook his head.

“There is no remedy, just hard work and intensity,” Jackson said. “It starts with real intense play over a duration of time.

“We have to figure out what’s wrong and remedy what has to be done to get back. Some habits will be broken. Things need to be fixed.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Dozen Matter

Shaquille O’Neal sat out the first 12 games of the season. He has been back for 12 games. A look:

*--* Without Shaq With Shaq 89.2 Points per game 99.0 94.5 Points allowed 98.8 44.1 Rebounds 45.1 20.7 Assists 24.0 387 Field-goal pct 466 425 Opp. FG pct 441 279 3-point pct 352 366 Opp. 3-point pct 443 250 (3-9) Winning pct (6-6) .500 419 Kobe’s FG pct 498 6.2 Kobe’s assists 8.5

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