Lakers Aren’t a Team of the Hours

There’s talk before Game 4 about Laker lineup changes. Coach Phil Jackson then announces he’ll make those changes known 10 minutes before the game. All this on the heels of stinging comments from Magic Johnson, who thinks the Lakers are not competing and blasts Gary Payton.

So, of course, I’m expecting Magic to come running out of the locker room in a Laker uniform to start in place of Payton. They changed the rules to let him play in an All-Star game, which turned out to be a big TV hit, so why not the NBA Finals? It’d be great reality TV.

As it is, things are changing minute to minute for the Lakers much like they have all season. They began this series prohibitive favorites; now they are underdogs. Three hours from now, who knows?

7:35 p.m. EDT -- Jackson tells the media, “I think we’re doing just fine. We’re going to be OK.” No one in the room raises a hand to argue, although they have spent the last 48 hours writing off the Lakers. Jackson says, “It’s a matter of rebounds and second-chance possessions,” and keeping in mind Karl Malone and Rick Fox can no longer jump, Slava Medvedenko can’t play defense and Brian Cook and Luke Walton are rookies, maybe it’ll be Kurt Rambis suiting up at power forward to join Magic.

Right now he might be their best power forward.

7:41 -- Jackson is asked about Magic’s comments. He said he didn’t read them. The guy makes all of his players read books, and yet comments aimed directly at his team by one of the team’s owners, he ignores?

9:03 -- Kid Rock takes the floor wearing a new T-shirt, and sings an abbreviated version of “America the Beautiful.” There will be no national anthem; maybe the punk didn’t know the words.

9:06 -- All that hype about Laker lineup changes, and the same five guys take the floor. The first two rebounds go to Malone and Payton. Jackson sure is a smart coach.

9:15 -- A little more than a minute into the first quarter and Fox replaces Devean George. That’s Malone, Payton, Shaq and Fox on the floor at the same time. A glacier moves faster than these guys.

9:17 -- Jackson walks beyond mid-court to yell at the ref. I’m not sure he’d walk that far for Jeanie. The ref calls a technical foul on Jackson for showing a sign of life. Jackson remains standing and jawing at the officials just like Red Auerbach would have done. He waits seven minutes before sitting down -- a personal best.

9:41 -- First quarter comes to a close with Payton missing a wide-open three-pointer. It would have been nice to have a camera on Magic.

9:42 -- Jackson talked about keeping Malone’s knee from getting stiff and having him ride a stationary bike. Malone said, “I’m not riding a bike. I’m not one of those guys who rides a bike on the sidelines for all the world to see me. No, I might do it if I was in the locker room or where nobody could see me.” Malone was willing to surrender much of his salary to win a title, but apparently none of his vanity.

9:52 -- The Pistons’ dance team, Automotion, performs. When they bring out the new models every year, I guess they’re talking only about cars.

10:15 -- Bryant is two for 10 and the Lakers still lead by one, 36-35 with 2:59 left in the half. I guess Kobe hasn’t noticed LeBron James sitting courtside. He’ll want to put on a show for the kid. Make that two for 11. OK, two for 12. Now might be a good time for someone on the Laker bench to point out LeBron.

10:19 -- Kobe is two for 13, and I told him he should have flown in the daughter to work on his shot.

10:23 -- The 24-second clock is down to nothing, Kobe throws up a three, and it’s good to pull L.A. within two to close the half. The refs have called 18 fouls on the Lakers, eight on Detroit. Something smells, and we’re 28 miles away from The Dump.

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10:51 -- Shaq, playing like a monster, ties the score to start the second half. Most of the time, it’s a one-man show, the Big Monster playing like he understands how important it is. No one on the Lakers, besides Kobe, has hit double figures in this series to help Shaq. You scored as many as Walton and Kareem Rush combined.

10:53 -- Bathroom break. They passed out a news release advising folks that every men’s bathroom in the Palace would have temperature-sensitive urinal screens that would reveal “special messages” when used. I can report to you the message read: Beat L.A.

10:56 -- Medvedenko and Rasheed Wallace tangle. It certainly couldn’t have been from anything Slava said. It fires up Wallace, who scores the next five points for the Pistons around a Medvedenko miss. Pistons go up by four, and the Lakers never regain the lead.

11:13 -- Fourth quarter begins with the score tied. Thanks for the Laker memories. The first two baskets are scored by the Pistons, the rest is just piling on.

11:41 -- Foul on Bryant, technical on Bryant and after free throws, a 10-point lead for the Pistons. On ABC, analyst Tom Tolbert told the folks at home, Detroit is “a better basketball team.” I’ll never knock Jack Haley again.

Midnight -- The Pistons win by eight. Wonder what Magic has to say now?

12:35 -- Bryant, coming off a miserable game, making eight of 25 shots with two assists, honored his media commitments and then made his way to the team bus. He stopped for one more question: Why should anyone think the Lakers can keep this thing going the way this series has unfolded?

“I’m telling you right now,” Bryant said. “We’ll win Tuesday.”

The way this has gone, I wouldn’t be surprised.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.