Three Is Laker Sticking Point

Shaquille O’Neal does his talking on the move now, shuffling off to one transportation mode or another, a moving target for probing questions of conscience and effort and marksmanship.

“Two for 21 shooting threes,” he shot over his right shoulder on another Saturday night, the Lakers having lost, 107-93, to the Phoenix Suns at America West Arena, Kobe Bryant having scored 37 points and insisting he sensed improvement, O’Neal unwilling to make that eye contact.

The numbers continue to lean toward the unfathomable, the Lakers 13-20 overall, 10-11 with O’Neal in the lineup, 4-14 on the road, 4 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, 49 games to play ... 47 days until the trading deadline.

They took five days off, rested and healed their veterans, refreshed themselves on the triangle and the spirit of their three championships, then played poorly again, even the unflappable Phil Jackson was close to exasperated afterward. As O’Neal dutifully mentioned, the Lakers missed 19 of 21 threes, Bryant and Rick Fox 0 for 14 between them. They Lakers made 50% of their two-point attempts (O’Neal was 11 for 18, Bryant 15 for 24 inside the arc), and still heaved threes from Flagstaff, and still lacked an end-to-end defensive commitment.

Shawn Marion scored 23 points and Amare Stoudemire and Penny Hardaway each had 17. The Suns’ reserves outscored the Lakers’, 33-15. And there were other issues, starting with a 5-minute 21-second scoreless stretch in the second quarter, during which the Suns scored 14 points. The Lakers didn’t like the officiating (“A really poorly officiated game, terribly officiated game,” Jackson said), but this is way beyond that.

They were never closer than nine points in the fourth quarter. They came within three with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third, and then were outscored, 9-2.

“Too long off, kind of had a rust on us as a ballclub,” Jackson said. “I don’t know what to say to explain that poor performance tonight. It was just a terrible shooting night for us. The fact that we climbed back into the game three times in the second half and couldn’t do anything with it is indicative of where we’re at in the season right now, not being able to get over the hump and get to the game and claim the game when you have the momentum.”

And then Jackson sent Mark Madsen in for O’Neal.

“What are you doing?” O’Neal asked on his way past the bench, not angry, just curious.

The deficit was 13. Jackson wanted to press and trap. There weren’t three minutes left. They play tonight, against the Suns, at Staples Center. O’Neal had 25 points and nine rebounds and four blocks. He missed another dunk, and made a few, too.

Cutting bait, it’s called, even in the desert. Living to play another day. Pacing themselves, even as the season wanes and the urgency grows.

Jackson didn’t look up.

They swept up after the Fiesta Bowl here Saturday and put the Lakers to the curb, too.

And so came their 20th defeat, the one Jackson had asked them to put off as long as they could. They avoided it for two games, against lottery-bound Denver and Toronto, then were outshot and outhustled and outmaneuvered again, by a team that feels good about itself, that wonders where the old Lakers are.

The Suns are 21-12.

“It’s surprising to some people, but to us, we feel like we can go out and play with anyone,” Sun guard Stephon Marbury said. “I’m kind of surprised at seeing the Lakers not play as well as they normally do. But it happens.”

For going on three months now.

January came and O’Neal still isn’t playing consistently above the rim, and the players around O’Neal and Bryant aren’t helping enough, and it’s going to be very difficult to get that much better with a trade. They remain stuck with each other, somewhere between waiting for O’Neal to become dominant again and making the shots and the plays that would allow him to become dominant again.

Fox played 12 minutes. Robert Horry played 12, then was ejected after taking two technical fouls in the fourth quarter. Brian Shaw played six minutes.

“They aren’t making the plays in the game to stay in the game,” Jackson said. “Their lack of athleticism, or age, is costing us.”

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Long Road Back

The team with the worst record to make the Western Conference playoffs last season finished 44-38. How Lakers need to finish season to reach that record:

*--* WINS LOSSES TO REACH 44 38 CURRENT 13 20 MUST GO 31 18 GAMES OUT OF PLAYOFF SPOT...4 1/2

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