Caught Off-Guard

After 12 months spent untangling their profound heartache from their boundless hope, the Lakers trudged from the same locker room, in the same playoff series, lugging the same deficit.

Nearing the end of a year in which they clung to Kobe Bryant and propped him up, in which they turned to Karl Malone and Gary Payton and now have half turned away, the Lakers changed everything, and then nothing.

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Lakers, 95-85, Wednesday night at SBC Center and lead the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals, two games to none. The next two games are at Staples Center, with Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.

Last May, with injuries and age thinning them and threatening to end their championship run at three, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles down two games, won twice, then lost the next two.

The Spurs continued on to the NBA title, the Lakers went hard into free agency, Bryant was charged with felony sexual assault and eventually they all arrived again at Game 2, Western Conference semis, with everything to lose again.

“We know how that one ended,” Rick Fox said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean it has to end that way this year.”

This time, Tony Parker scored 30 points, 16 in a first quarter that established the Spurs’ plans, and Tim Duncan scored 24 points. The Spurs broke away from the Lakers in the first minutes of the game, spent most of 40 minutes with a double-digit lead, and then, after the Lakers rallied, pulled away from them in the fourth quarter again.

A day after his stepfather went public with his disdain for Bryant’s game, Shaquille O’Neal backed him up with his most active game of the postseason. He scored 32 points and took 15 rebounds, while Bryant played with distance and scored 15 points, four in a languid first half.

After the Lakers played back from 16-point deficit in the third quarter to draw within two points in the middle of the fourth, the Spurs used a 9-3 run to push their playoff winning streak to six games and their overall streak to 17 games.

After 9-6, the Lakers never had a possession with a chance to tie the score.

Malone crossed his arms afterward and spoke as softly as he had all season.

“We need to believe,” he said. “We need to believe at the start of the game, you know? We seem to find a way to make it difficult for ourselves, instead of just playing.

“I’m going to cling to my belief in this team. I believe in these guys. I have all year long and I’m not going to stop feeling like that.”

Down a game and feeling as though they’d been pushed around in Game 1, they pulled up their new black socks, puffed up their chests and, eight minutes into Game 2, were down, 24-10. Twelve minutes in, shaking their heads slightly as they filled the time between quarters, they were behind, 33-17.

Parker, among the Spurs they decided to defend harder, made seven of 11 shots in the first quarter. The Lakers had six turnovers. Robert Horry even made a three-pointer, making him one for 19 from the arc over the last two conference semi-finals to that point.

“It’s critical, no question,” Laker guard Derek Fisher said.

Three weeks into the postseason, the Lakers’ games come and go. Bryant seemed disconnected. Malone was accurate, but scored only 13 points. Ignored or defended through the playoffs, O’Neal made 15 of 21 shots and still could only get the Lakers close.

Parker was too fast for Payton and the rest of the Lakers, and Duncan was again precise -- from the field and the free-throw line -- and Manu Ginobili came off the bench and scored 15 points.

The Spurs shot 12 more free throws -- and made 60% of them, robust numbers for the league’s worst free-throw shooting team.

Given one last shot at the Spurs, who helped bring the Lakers back with a 12-point third quarter, the Lakers sagged again. With 58 seconds left, Malone at the free-throw line and the Lakers about to draw within seven points, Coach Phil Jackson substituted rookie Luke Walton for O’Neal.

The plan was to trap whichever Spur caught the inbound pass and, if necessary, foul him. What actually happened was Hedo Turkoglu raced off for a fast-break layup, because Bryant drifted out of the play, and the Spurs took a 94-85 lead. O’Neal, who pounded Rasho Nesterovic and Duncan with an aggressive, quick inside game and at one point made two -- Two! -- consecutive free throws, never returned to the game.

“It looked to me like we ran out of gas again tonight getting back into the ballgame,” Jackson said, “and didn’t have enough left for the last four minutes of the game.”

So, they stand in the same dusty hole, requiring four wins in five games against the Spurs, having lost five consecutive playoff games in San Antonio.

“We just have to believe we can go out and play,” O’Neal said. “We know we’re a better team and we have to show it on Sunday.”

Malone crossed his arms, perhaps familiar with such a predicament after 18 championship-less years.

“I feel like we can beat this team and turn it around,” Malone said. “I don’t know how, specifically.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

THE SERIES

WESTERN CONF. SEMIFINALS

Spurs lead series, 2-0

GAME 1

at San Antonio

San Antonio 88, Lakers 78

GAME 2

at San Antonio

San Antonio 95, Lakers 85

GAME 3

Sunday at Staples Center

12:30 p.m., Channel 7

GAME 4

Tuesday at Staples Center

7:30 p.m., TNT

GAME 5

May 13 at San Antonio

5 p.m., Channel 7*

GAME 6

May 15 at Staples Center

Time TBA, TNT*

GAME 7

May 19 at San Antonio

Time TBA, TNT*

*if necessary; times PDT

*

TWO DOWN

The Lakers have been down 2-0 in 17 playoff series since moving to Los Angeles, coming back to win only once:

*--* Year Opponent Result 2003 San Antonio Lost, 4-2 1999 San Antonio Lost, 4-0 1998 Utah Lost, 4-0 1997 Utah Lost, 4-1 1995 San Antonio Lost, 4-2 1992 Portland Lost, 3-1 1989 Detroit Lost, 4-0 1983 Philadelphia Lost, 4-0 1979 Seattle Lost, 4-1 1977 Portland Lost, 4-0 1974 Milwaukee Lost, 4-1 1971 Milwaukee Lost, 4-1 1969 San Francisco Won, 4-2 1967 San Francisco Lost, 3-0 1965 Boston Lost, 4-1 1964 St. Louis Lost, 3-2 1963 Boston Lost, 4-2

*--*

*

At a Loss

The Lakers are winless in five playoff games at San Antonio’s SBC Center, with an average score of 96-86.8. In Wednesday’s loss, the Lakers shot more than 50% for the first time:

*--* Date FG% Score May 5, 2003 39.5 87-82 May 7, 2003 45.0 114-95 May 13, 2003 46.9 96-94 May 2, 2004 37.7 88-78 May 5, 2004 51.4 95-85

*--*