Separation Anxiety Is Mounting

More than three months in, the Lakers remain a team racked by injury and separation, unable on some nights to resist at all.

They were blown out twice in four nights this week, both times in the second of back-to-back games, the first with Shaquille O’Neal at the team hotel, the second with Gary Payton in the locker room.

They claimed fatigue Thursday night in Philadelphia but had O’Neal in the middle against a team that appeared to be coming apart in the hours before game time and still swallowed their biggest loss of the season.

On Wednesday in Cleveland, O’Neal and Payton had combined for 67 points and afterward Payton spoke of his growing rhythm with O’Neal, a man he calls, simply, “Big.”

O’Neal said that was fine, but he wanted the “mean Gary” back, the old trash-talking, head-tilting, game-grinding Gary, and 24 hours later “mean Gary” was ejected nine minutes into the first quarter.

“That’s Shaq,” Payton had said beforehand. “He wants me to start talking. But I’ve got to be calm for these guys.”

O’Neal walked past, overheard the conversation and said, “Forget that calm stuff,” only he didn’t say “forget.” Or “stuff.”

“Aw, man,” Payton said.

Later, away from Payton, O’Neal said, “I know it helps his game when he’s talking. I brought him here. I know everything about him. Gary knows what I’m expecting.”

That night, they combined for 17 points, all by O’Neal. The losses occurred with Karl Malone in Los Angeles and Kobe Bryant somewhere other than with the Lakers, the details of which were vague.

Over the last week, Bryant was injured and then occupied by his hearings in Colorado and then ill, and apparently he is still injured and perhaps ill. Bryant arrived here Friday, some people in Philadelphia convinced that he ducked what might have been an untidy reception there.

Bryant can leave the injured list in time for Sunday’s game against the Magic, but the medical staff won’t examine his finger injury until today, according to team officials, and it is doubtful he’ll play.

After four games in five days, along with five flights in six days and early-morning arrival here, Coach Phil Jackson gave the team the day off Friday.

The Lakers were to practice today at Shaq Center, the regulation gym at O’Neal’s Isleworth estate.

Apparently, these trips and those injuries leave the Lakers unable to defend themselves on some nights, vulnerable to fatigue, poor execution, guys named Iverson and their own mouths. So far, no one has copped to a fear that better days might not be ahead. Bryant and Malone are healing and O’Neal, despite one of the worst games of his career at the free-throw line (three for 15) against the 76ers, recently said he felt like “the old Shaq.”

In the most trying season of his career, Jackson has been mostly understanding of his young players and calm amid the chaos. Mostly. Thursday night’s technical foul was his sixth. Only five coaches have more.

“It’s been an enjoyable year for us, actually,” he said before the Lakers were run off the floor in Philadelphia. “It’s not fun, having so many guys miss games and having an unreliable lineup -- or an interchangeable lineup -- but it’s been enjoyable, having young players, compliant players, wanting to learn the game and learn the system and play together, willing workers in all regards. They aren’t so entrenched. We’re going to lose some games with them, but we’re going to gain some ground.”

*

A bronze statue of Magic Johnson will be unveiled in a ceremony at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in Star Plaza at Staples Center. Jerry West, David Stern, Jeanie Buss, James Worthy, Mayor James K. Hahn and others are scheduled to attend. The event is open to the public.... Elaine Van Mullekom, the mother of Laker publicist John Black, died this week. She was 67.