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Despite Distracting Season, Lakers Make Second Round
by Alex Sachare
IT WAS A TUMULTUOUS SEASON for the Los Angeles Lakers, who, despite a
star-studded lineup led by the dominating Shaquille O'Neal and the dynamic
Kobe Bryant, were swept from the NBA Playoffs for the second year in a
row. This time it was the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference
Semifinals; a year ago it was the Utah Jazz in the Conference Finals.
The Lakers changed coaches when they got off to
a 6-6 start under Del Harris, and after breaking a
three-game losing streak in their one game under
assistant coach Bill Bertka, they reeled off nine
more wins with Kurt Rambis as head coach. But
they could do no better than .500 the rest of the
way: 15-13 over the remainder of the regular
season and 3-5 in two rounds of playoffs.
They courted and signed controversial Dennis
Rodman, hoping his rebounding and defense at the
forward spot would give them a dimension they
lacked. Despite that early 10-game winning
streak, Rodman's antics proved too much of a
distraction and he finally was waived on April 15,
less than two months after he was signed.
On March 10 they pulled the trigger on a
long-rumored trade with Charlotte for Glen Rice,
the forward whose scoring and outside shooting
was supposed to complement O'Neal's power
and Bryant's slashing. But the Lakers discovered
how much they missed the defense and all-around
skills of Eddie Jones and the frontcourt depth
represented by Elden Campbell, the players they
gave up to get Rice.
After finishing four games back of Portland in the
Pacific Division race and going into the playoffs as
the fourth seed, the Lakers beat Houston and its
Hall of Fame frontcourt of Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Scottie
Pippen in four games in the First Round. O'Neal dominated Olajuwon in the
series, posting 29.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per
game. He secured the Lakers' 101-100 win in Game 1 by blocking a driving
layup by Houston's Cuttino Mobley at the buzzer and poured in 37 points as
the Lakers closed out the Rockets 98-88 in Game 4.
The San Antonio series was another story. Led by Tim Duncan, who
averaged 29.0 ppg and 10.8 rpg, the Spurs eked out 87-81 and 79-76 wins
at home, then went to Los Angeles and completed the sweep with 103-91
and 118-107 victories. San Antonio scored the last 13 points of Game 3 and
buried Los Angeles with 60 percent shooting from the field in Game 4. The
latter closed out the Lakers' 22-year stay at the Great Western Forum,
during which time they won six NBA Championships and clinched four of
them on their home floor. Next year the Lakers, along with the Clippers, will
move to the Staples Center currently under construction.
"It's very embarrassing," said O'Neal, who has had five of his last six seasons
end in playoff sweeps. "Every time I get sent home, I get embarrassed. I hate
saying, `Well, we played hard.' No, now it's over. I take all of it on myself."
"We've all been embarrassed at this level; I don't care how good you are,"
said Lakers Executive VP of Basketball Operations Jerry West. "The people
that care the most feel the worst. We might not be talking about a four-game
sweep if some guys had played just a little bit better, made a shot here or
there or hit a couple of free throws. I don't think anybody expected this. But
if you have games that are winnable, and you don't know how to win them,
you're going to be more disappointed."
O'Neal led the NBA in field goal percentage at .576 and was second in
scoring at 26.3, tied for seventh in rebounding at 10.7 rpg and 14th in
shotblocking at 1.67 bpg. He scored in double figures in all 49 games he
played to raise his current streak to 240, and his 30 double-doubles tied for
third in the league. His free throw percentage of .540, while modest, was his
highest in the last five seasons.
Bryant, the only Laker to start all 50 games, averaged career-highs of 19.9
points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.44 steals and 1.00 blocks in 37.9 minutes
per game. He scored a season-high 38 points, 33 in the second half, against
Orlando on March 21 and led the Lakers in scoring 11 times. Either he or
O'Neal led the team in scoring, or tied for the team lead, in 47 of 50 games.
Rice contributed 17.5 ppg in 27 games after coming over from Charlotte,
getting a season-high 40 in the regular season finale against Portland on May
5. He led the team with 53 three-pointers and shot .393 from behind the arc.
Derek Fisher and Derek Harper shared the point guard position. Harper
started 29 games and led the team with 4.2 assists per game to go along with
a 6.9 scoring average, while Fisher made 21 starts and averaged 3.9 apg and
5.9 ppg. Rookie Tyronn Lue also saw action in 15 games.
Rodman averaged 11.2 rebounds and 2.1 points in his 23 games with the
Lakers, from the time he was signed on February 23 to the time he was
waived on April 15. J.R. Reid, who came over from Charlotte with Rice on
March 10, started 26 games at forward, more than anyone else, and
averaged 9.0 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Rick Fox and Robert Horry, playing almost
exclusively off the bench, averaged 9.0 and 4.9 ppg, respectively, and Travis
Knight, playing power forward and backup center, contributed 4.2 ppg and
3.5 rpg.
"We do have talent," said West following the playoff ouster. "We realize
talent doesn't always win games. We need to be more cohesive in close
games. We need to have a better plan. We need to have our players
understand their roles better."
HONOR ROLL
Shaquille O'Neal
Named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Led the NBA in field-goal percentage (.576) and also led the Lakers in
scoring (26.3, 2nd), rebounds (10.7 rpg, 7th), blocked shots (1.67 bpg,
14th) and double-doubles (30, 3rd).
Scored in double-figures in all 49 games he played in this year, scoring
30-or-more points 14 times, and has scored in double-figures in 240
consecutive games.
Led the Lakers in scoring in 36 games, in rebounds in 28 games and in both
scoring and rebounding in 25 games.
Glen Rice
Led the Lakers in free-throw percentage (.856, 14th in the NBA),
three-pointers made (53) and attempted (135) and three-point percentage
(.393).
Scored 20-or-more points 9 times, including a season-high 40 points in a
101-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the season finale on May 5.
Scored his 15,000th career point, totaling 13 points (3-4 3FG) and 5
rebounds, in a 113-104 win over the Orlando Magic on March 21.
Kobe Bryant
Named to the All-NBA Third Team.
Led the Lakers in steals (1.44 spg) and ranked 2nd on the team in scoring
(19.9 ppg, 15th in the NBA) and free-throw percentage (.839, 20th).
Registered career-high 38 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in a 113-104
victory over the Orlando Magic on March 21.
Narrowly missed his first career triple-double, with 26 points and
career-highs of 13 rebounds and 9 assists, against the Denver Nuggets on
February 22.
HIGHLIGHTS
Went 31-19 to finish in second place in the Pacific Division and reach the
NBA Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and the 22nd time in 23
seasons.
Went 16-8 in games decided by 10-or-more points, 19-5 when scoring 100
or more points, 29-5 when posting a higher field-goal percentage than their
opponent and 25-3 when leading after three quarters.
Led the league in team field-goal percentage (.468) and ranked 2nd in
scoring (99.0 ppg), 6th in blocked shots (5.74 bpg) and 7th in assists (21.9
apg).
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