Lakers Make One Last Move

The Lakers arrived at the postseason of their four-peat wishes on Wednesday night, finally, at the end of 5 1/2 months that played from tedious to desperate to complete.

The Lakers drew the Minnesota Timberwolves in a first-round, best-of-seven series that starts Sunday in Minneapolis, by virtue of Wednesday night’s 117-111 victory over the Golden State Warriors at The Arena in Oakland and Portland’s 107-93 loss to the Clippers.

They enter the postseason as the fifth-seeded team, to Minnesota’s four, and won’t play their first home playoff game until a week from today.

“I’m thrilled,” Shaquille O’Neal said of a game remarkable for their 50th win, Kobe Bryant’s 44 points and the end of a trying regular season. “I’m very thrilled.”

After 82 games, the Lakers, three-time defending champions and winners of 14 NBA titles, get the Timberwolves, a 1989 expansion franchise that has never won a playoff series. Minnesota has lost six consecutive first-round series, but has never held home-court advantage, either.

“Well, they’re very determined to reach the next step in the playoffs,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “I’m sure the Lakers and home-court advantage is not the thing they thought about.

“There’s a lot of pressure on them. We’re going to have to go in and expect that.”

Bryant scored 44 points against the Warriors and ended the regular season with a scoring average of 30.0. He is the third Laker in history to average at least as many, the first since Jerry West scored 31.2 points per game in the 1969-70 season. West averaged 30 four times, Elgin Baylor three times.

Bryant also is the fifth player to average at least 30 points, six rebounds and five assists. The others: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

Now, all that is gone.

“I’m looking forward to the series,” Bryant said. “It’s a new environment for us. We’ve played the same teams in the past few playoff runs, so I’m excited.

“What we know is that it’s going to be an emotional environment. The pressure will be on for them, and what we have to do is rely on our experience.”

Bryant dunked on Adonal Foyle with playoff disdain on one possession, set him up for the delicate up-and-under reverse layup on the next one.

O’Neal was hit square in the face on a rebound, went back up for the layup, made the free throw, then kindly thanked the referee for the call. “ ‘Bout time,” he said.

O’Neal averaged 29.6 points and 11.8 rebounds in the 28 games leading to Wednesday’s, since he took three games to rest his knee and toe, and shot 59.1% from the floor, 64% from the line. O’Neal scored 27 points, took 12 rebounds and played with postseason precision and tenacity.

“Minnesota is our first test,” he said. “Mr. [Kevin] Garnett has something to prove. And we have something to prove. Should be a fun series.”

The Lakers reached the end of the regular season with 11 wins in 13 games and 15 consecutive wins at Staples Center. Derek Fisher shot himself into the league leaders in three-point percentage, Rick Fox is getting some flexibility in his right knee again, and Devean George, after injuries and fluctuations of confidence, seems to be willing to help again.

The Arena in Oakland was the fullest it had been for a Warrior game, and the Lakers took their shot at 50 wins, which counted for a fifth seeding in light of Minnesota’s win in Memphis and Portland’s loss in Los Angeles.

The Lakers have three days to heal themselves, to generate their defensive legs for what is sure to be one of the most arduous runs in NBA playoff history, should they advance as far as the Eastern Conference patsy. Should they beat the Timberwolves, they’d play the San Antonio-Phoenix winner.

The Lakers will practice today in El Segundo, when preparations begin in earnest for the Timberwolves, who the Lakers last played a month ago. The teams split the four-game season series.

“We do have Thursday, Friday, Saturday off,” Jackson said. “So, that’s three days and play on the fourth, which is a long period of time in an NBA season for not playing. I think we’ve had one break of that long the whole year.”

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*--* Kobe Bryant, by scoring 44 points Wednesday night, became the third Laker to average 30 points or more in a season: Season Player Avg 1960-61 Elgin Baylor 34.8 1961-62 Jerry West 30.8 Elgin Baylor 38.3* 1962-63 Elgin Baylor 34.0 1964-65 Jerry West 31.0 1965-66 Jerry West 31.3 1969-70 Jerry West 31.2** 2002-03 Kobe Bryant 30.012 * Played in 48 games. ** Led NBA

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