Jackson Thinks Big Picture

When the Lakers titled their season “The Quest for Four,” they couldn’t know four wins -- in more than three weeks -- would be such a test of endurance and perimeter shooting.

Fortunately, they resisted the urge to rename it “The Quest for Five,” because that victory came only two nights later, and now, starting a three-game trip through Miami, Orlando and Memphis, they’ve won consecutive games for the second time this month.

Shaquille O’Neal is back, they’ve won two in a row and their offense doesn’t have that Miami stink about it anymore, allowing them a moment to examine what it is they’ve done to themselves.

They are 5 1/2 games behind the Sacramento Kings in the Pacific Division, 8 1/2 games behind the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference, and no fewer than nine teams stand between them and Mark Cuban’s renowned international scouting department.

About those standings ...

“Don’t look at the standings,” Coach Phil Jackson said.

Well, then, you should know ...

“Kind of know what they are,” he said. “We’ve got a long haul. To think realistically about it, it’s going to take us a couple months of playing really well to be back in the hunt, as far as I can see. I don’t see anything that’s going to be a quick remedy.

“We’ll worry ourselves about that when we feel like we’re starting to play well enough to chase, to be a factor.”

There is another complication. The Lakers’ nine early losses might also cost them Jackson’s deft touch in the regular season. In three seasons in Los Angeles, Jackson has carried just the right amount of November-to-March disregard to keep O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and his veteran players healthy for the playoff grind.

Therefore, it was the Lakers who won dynasty-shaping seventh games against Portland and Sacramento, and the Lakers who lost a total of three games in three NBA Finals. The unassuming Eastern Conference helped too, but the Lakers consistently got to June on legs kept fresh in December, January and February.

This time, Jackson might have to drive them to get home-court advantage in the first round.

“It’s not about looking down the schedule and knowing you’re going to be able to win 10 in a row sometime in January,” Jackson said. “You just play when you play and just see if we can’t be consistent about that.”

Typically, Jackson said, he strives for 85%-90% capacity during the regular season. He might require more for the fourth title.

“We have to reason with that a little bit too,” he said. “We think we have to play at a little higher level than we’ve had to play in the past, perhaps.

“There’s a price to pay for that. If you burn yourselves out doing that, chasing to be in position for the playoffs, it might cost you something once you get there.”

TONIGHT

at Miami, 4:30 PST

Channel 9 (5:30)

Site -- American Airlines Arena.

Radio -- KLAC (570), KWKW (1330, Spanish).

Records -- Lakers 5-9, Heat 2-10.

Record vs. Heat (2001-02) -- 1-1.

Update -- The Heat is averaging 81.1 points and apparently will hang with New York and Cleveland at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for at least another season. The Lakers have won their last three games in Miami and are 9-5 there overall.