It’s past and future for Lakers

Game this weekend most likely to evoke “This is where it all began to go south” sentiments among Lakers fans . . .

Detroit Pistons at Lakers (tonight, 7:30 p.m., FSNW and ESPN): Ah, yes, a rematch of the 2004 NBA Finals, which, believe it or not, were played 41 months ago. Yes, that’s right -- 41 months, not years.

That was the last ride of the somewhat over-hyped Fab Four -- Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton -- which never quite steamrolled the hopelessly overmatched Pistons on the way to four Hall of Fame induction speeches. Instead, Malone got hurt, Payton melted down, Bryant tried to take every shot, and O’Neal meandered through five games looking alternately tired and miffed. Fab Four quickly came to mean how many times the Pistons beat the Lakers in those five games.

Forty-one months later, a question arises: Are FSNW and ESPN the right carriers for this matchup? Considering the dynamite job that was done to the Lakers franchise immediately after the ’04 Finals, shouldn’t this game be on TNT?

And after that blast from the past, Lakers fans take a wary glance into the is-it-possible? future . . .

Chicago Bulls at Lakers (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., FSNW): The Lakers’ Fab Four is now down to Fab One, and if Bryant had his way, it already would be Fab None. For weeks, we have heard rumors about the Bulls piecing together a trade package for Bryant. Here, then, is a chance for the Lakers and their fans to scan the merchandise.

More misty-eyed nostalgia, not brought to you by the History Channel or ESPN Classic . . .

Phoenix Coyotes at Kings (Saturday, 1 p.m., Prime): OK, class, here is your assignment for the afternoon. Assess and compare the current state of the Kings and Coyotes and answer the following essay question: “Do the Kings miss Wayne Gretzky more than Wayne Gretzky misses the Kings?”

Who are those two old guys slowing down traffic in the passing lane? The driver is wearing a hat, and looks a lot like Teemu Selanne . . .

Ducks at San Jose Sharks (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Prime): Now that FSNW and Prime have christened the Ducks-Kings rivalry the “Freeway Faceoff,” we find the Ducks wanting to use the diamond lane but lacking two necessary passengers. Their names are Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer.

Is this the greatest college football rivalry in the land? Vote with your remote . . .

Ohio State at Michigan (Saturday, 9 a.m., Channel 7): These are not the only schools living off past glories, but they are the only ones spotlighted in an HBO documentary called “The Rivalry.” Michigan is 8-3, both teams enter this game coming off losses for the first time since 1959, Wolverines Coach Lloyd Carr is 1-5 against the Buckeyes’ Jim Tressel.

This week, an ESPN poll showed a majority of fans disagreeing with the notion of Ohio State-Michigan as greatest rivalry. ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit disagreed with that, but he would. As Ohio State’s quarterback in 1992, Herbstreit completed 28 passes, then a school record, in a 13-13 tie with Michigan.

Are we not fans? We have TiVo . . .

Duke at Notre Dame (Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Channel 4) and Louisiana State at Mississippi (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2): The USC and UCLA football teams have the weekend officially off, so for their supporters, here are a couple of games to watch live and/or record. Notre Dame has only one victory; Bruins fans can watch and gnash their teeth some more. LSU has one defeat and is ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings; Trojans fans can watch and gnash their teeth some more.

Mark Cuban’s revenge . . .

Clippers at Golden State Warriors (tonight, 7:30 p.m., Prime): Since upsetting Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks in the first round of last season’s NBA playoffs, the Warriors have won once. They lost to Utah in the second round, four games to one, and have started this season 0-6. You would like to say the Clippers are getting the Warriors at just the right time, although with the Clippers, you know, you just never know.

Enough of New England already . . .

Houston Dynamo versus New England Revolution (Sunday, 9 a.m., Channel 7): Abiding by new professional sports regulations that must have been passed in a secret tribunal held deep in the bowels of Fenway Park when we weren’t looking, Major League Soccer plays its championship game with a requisite appearance by a team from New England. Hope for fans tired of seeing the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics win everything in sight: The Dynamo defeated the Revolution to win the 2006 MLS Cup, leaving New England 0-3 in MLS Cup appearances.

Masters of suspense . . .

ATP Masters Cup Shanghai Championship (Sunday, 9 a.m. delayed, ESPN2): This is a big one in the world of professional tennis, which is where the world turned in 2007 for drugs, doping, match-fixing, poisoning and other spellbinding dramas.

christine.daniels@latimes.com