They’re in a Good Place, and Not Just First

It is beginning to look like the Lakers and Sacramento Kings again in the Western Conference, but they don’t play each other for another six weeks, by which time Karl Malone may have aged a day or two.

The Lakers have done the most with a kind schedule, outside of the two-game Detroit-New York back-to-back, and the most with a month of Triangle 101: Intro to Tex Winter’s Innermost Thoughts. Already, it seems, they’ve come a long way from Shaquille O’Neal’s contract fit, from Kobe Bryant’s ESPN rant, from the blowout losses in New Orleans and Memphis.

O’Neal’s contract extension is still out there, as is Phil Jackson’s, but they haven’t been issues for weeks and, so far, everyone assumes the negotiations are inching along.

Also, Bryant’s legal issues in Colorado are between hearings, meaning the questions and the media crush have thinned. His next court date is Dec. 19. The Lakers play the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles that night, which could complicate things, but only slightly.

So, in a warm place between trips and personal crises, the Lakers have found their game, winning expansively for a week and a half, twice without O’Neal. They thumped the San Antonio Spurs, who, given their raft of new personnel and injuries, left claiming not to be the defending NBA champions. The Lakers similarly beat the Indiana Pacers, who, given their Eastern Conference affiliation, also left claiming not to be the defending NBA champions. They are 14-3 and lead the Kings by 1 1/2 games in the Pacific Division. Only Indiana (15-3) has a better record in the league.

Through 17 games, Malone and Gary Payton have been every bit the players and men General Manager Mitch Kupchak hoped and believed they would be, settling the floor play and the locker room byplay with veteran conviction. In recent weeks, the result has been selfless play on offense and enthusiasm for defense, bringing Jackson to the postgame interview room in a chummy mood.

Standing at the podium Sunday night, Jackson gathered his thoughts while staring at a pile of tape recorders, then began his news conference with the pronouncement, “Sony wins, 4-2.” All of which leaves the Lakers, well, where?

“We’re riding on momentum,” Jackson said after giving the non-injured Lakers Monday off, later adding, “I just think there’s a defensive edge and an arrogance about this Lakers team right now.

“I think that our experience right now, experienced ballplayers and ballplayers learning how to play with one another, has been the key.”

They play at San Antonio on Wednesday night and at Dallas on Thursday. The Spurs are smarting from what could have been a 40-point loss to the Lakers last Friday and the Mavericks are undefeated at American Airlines Center, pending tonight’s game against the Washington Wizards.

“It’s going to be tough out there,” Jackson said. “We’re going to have to play well, we’re going to have to communicate as a team, and our defense is going to have to hold us together by talking and by a coordinated effort. And, we’re going to have to execute at the offensive end.”

After a pause, he added, “The place that’s going to matter the most is on the road.”

*

Malone didn’t wave or anything. He didn’t exactly smile. It was the last day of November, after all, and there was still so much to do, so little to be content with. But he heard the cheers and saw, from the corners of his eyes, the people who stood and honored 11 points and 15 rebounds, end-to-end effort, 40-year-old spirit in 31 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.

He’s still getting comfortable with the idea that all those boos over 18 years in Los Angeles have become encouragement. But he liked it. Really liked it.

“It seems like they approve,” Malone said, grinning in spite of himself. “That’s all I can say.”

In 17 games, Malone has averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. It isn’t the numbers that have brought him love at Staples Center, however, but how he’s gotten them, and how he’s stuck that roast-sized forearm into the backs of Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace and Jermaine O’Neal and not budged.

“I want them to like me for what I’m doing now, not what I did in the past,” said Malone, who could become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer next season, primarily off points put up in Utah. “And they’re appreciating the little things. Here, in Los Angeles, over the years, they’ve seen some unbelievable basketball. They saw that all the time. I’m telling you, it’s a great feeling.”