Lakers Need a Magic Show to Get Back in It : They’re All Struggling, but Johnson Says He Has to Lead the Way in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY â€”  While Pat Riley pretended to jump out of an 18th-floor hotel window and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke of a “collective letdown,â€� there was one Laker Saturday afternoon who placed the fate of the team on his own shoulders.

If the Lakers are to square matters with the Utah Jazz this afternoon in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series, Magic Johnson said he will have to be a far different player than the one who was unceremoniously benched Friday night.

“We’re not playing them like we think they’re a good team,� Johnson said of the Jazz, who were 15 games in arrears of the Lakers during the regular season but lead this best-of-seven series, 2 games to 1.

“We came in kind of not respecting them, and now they’re not respecting us,� Johnson said. “They’ve been more physical and aggressive than we have been. Instead of us coming out like champions, they’ve been coming out like they’re champions.

“We have to bring a championship heart and aggressiveness, and that starts with me. I have to start it, by pushing the ball up every time and being aggressive. I’ve got to play my game.�

If his mood Saturday was any indication, Johnson will be taking the floor this afternoon with a controlled fury. Instead of his trademark smile, Johnson sat scowling through a nationally televised interview during the Denver-Dallas game. He also told friends that he was furious about being yanked by Riley for the last five minutes of the first half in the Lakers’ 96-89 loss to the Jazz in Game 3 Friday night.

“We’re all ticked about that,� one player said.

But as agitated as he may have been about his benching--unprecedented in recent memory--Johnson was just as disturbed by what he’s done while out on the floor. He scored 16 points--4 in the first half--handed out just 6 assists, and did not have a single rebound. And in the final two minutes, after the Lakers pulled within four points, Johnson did not take the game into his own hands. Instead, he deferred to Abdul-Jabbar, who fumbled the ball, missing two sky hooks and commiting an offensive foul.

“I’m mad at myself, of course,� Johnson said. “Looking back, I know I should have taken over. The guys were telling me to go for it.�

Johnson said he gave the ball up because Abdul-Jabbar had established good position. But the fact that Johnson didn’t take over raises the question of whether the groin injury he suffered in March is keeping him from doing so. General Manager Jerry West said Saturday that he believes Johnson is “completely healthy,� and team physician Robert Kerlan said Johnson’s condition is no different than it has been for the last five weeks.

“He hasn’t complained about it any more than he ever has,� Kerlan said. “We treat it like we always have . . . but if he says it’s bothering him, I wouldn’t disagree with him.�

Obviously, Johnson said, the groin is a factor.

“I know I can’t play the way I did, the way I’m capable of playing,� he said. “But I know I can play better. I just have to play as hard as I can and give it all I’ve got.�

Combine Johnson’s subpar play with Abdul-Jabbar’s second straight ghastly performance--6 points, matching his all-time playoff low--and James Worthy’s foul-influenced no-show--9 points and no shots until late in the third quarter--and it’s not hard to understand why the Lakers find themselves behind in a playoff series for the first time since Houston ousted them from the Western finals in 1986.

“We’ve been dominated at the center position,� Riley told reporters after being the only speaker at a half-hour team meeting. “John Stockton has outplayed all three of our guards. . . . We’ve been outplayed by (Karl) Malone and (Thurl) Bailey. The only player who has come through is Byron (Scott).�

Scott had 29 points Friday night after throwing in 26 in a 101-97 loss in Game 2.

“It has nothing to do with X’s or O’s or anything else,� Riley said. “It’s heart. Period. . . . And that’s being questioned by a lot of people, by the way.�

Abdul-Jabbar, who also met with reporters after the meeting, was asked if he resented that a four-time championship team would have its heart questioned.

“Even the best at whatever they do have letdowns,� Abdul-Jabbar said. “Obviously, we’ve had a collective letdown.

� . . . Sometimes, you think you’re doing something to the best of your ability when actually you’re going through the motions. It happens. The more stressful the situation, the easier it is for (that) to develop. This is a very stressful situation, and we haven’t reacted the way we should have.�

No one has more fingers pointed at him than the Lakers’ 41-year-old captain, who has made just 6 of his last 27 shots (22%) while being dwarfed by Utah’s 7-foot 4-inch Mark Eaton. When Riley said he contemplated some lineup changes this afternoon, someone actually dared to ask the previously unthinkable: whether Riley thought of starting Mychal Thompson ahead of Abdul-Jabbar.

“I just think he’s had a couple of poor performances,� said Riley, who probably won’t do anything more drastic than start A.C. Green ahead of Kurt Rambis. “He’s not happy about that. I think Earvin would say the same thing, and James, too.

� . . . I can’t allow, because of who they are--I’ve always said that I’ve come up with these guys and I’ll go down with them, but I can’t let (the team) go down by going with people who are not making the effort.

“Our best team last night was (Michael) Cooper, Scott, (Tony) Campbell, A.C. and Mychal Thompson. From an effort standpoint, defensive standpoint and running standpoint. Our first unit runs an offense called ‘Quick.’ It’s turned slow.�

Which is probably why Riley walked over to the hotel window and feigned jumping, before thinking better of it. If West is correct from his vantage point in Bel-Air, there’s no reason for Riley to be that discouraged.

“I don’t think we’re playing very well,� said West, who makes a practice of never accompanying the team on the road during the playoffs. “ . . . (But) I think we’re going to win. I have great confidence in this team. This team likes to win . . . and they know how to do it. They’ve done it.�

And if they don’t?

“If people don’t get it done, including myself, (Riley) said he’ll go with other people,� Johnson said. “We’ve got to come out with our hearts and minds ready to go for it.

“All we have to do is win (today) and things will be better.�

Laker Notes

Coach Pat Riley, on his decision to bench Magic Johnson Friday night: “I think he understands it. I took him out not because he was playing badly, but because the (second unit) was moving and running. That’s what they call a CD (coach’s decision).�. . . . Some of the numbers that tell the story of this series: The Lakers’ 89 points were the fewest they’ve scored since an 85-83 loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six points were the fewest he’s ever scored in a playoff game, matching his output in the fifth game of the 1982 finals against Philadelphia. Utah’s Mark Eaton, supposedly a defensive specialist, is outshooting Abdul-Jabbar, 40.9% (9 of 22) to 31.7% (13 of 41) in this series. Abdul-Jabbar’s backup, Mychal Thompson, is shooting 32.3% (10 of 31). The Lakers are averaging 98.7 points and shooting 45.1% after averaging 120.3 points and 55.2% against San Antonio in their first-round sweep. The Spurs were the worst defensive team in the league, while Riley called Utah the best in the league.

Abdul-Jabbar sounded annoyed that Eaton is being credited with stopping him. “Against someone his size and with other people coming in and swatting at the ball, it makes getting off a good shot very difficult,� Abdul-Jabbar said. “ . . . If it was just Eaton, we could deal with it, but they’ve got three or four guys in the paint who collapse (into the middle) very well. Unless we get some fast-break baskets, it will be difficult to score on their packed-in defense.� . . . Abdul-Jabbar, on the disappearance of the Laker fast break: “We haven’t really relied on a half-court game all season, and all of a sudden we’re doing it all the time. I’m going against a packed-in defense. We’re not getting the ball up the court quick enough; we’re not beating people up and down the court.� Riley on the same subject: “We’re not filling the lanes, pushing up the ball. We’ve got to put the jets on, but I don’t know if we’ve got any fuel in there.�

Abdul-Jabbar, asked if the altitude is affecting him: “I think it affected me early, maybe in the first quarter, but I don’t think it’s much of a factor.� . . . Asked if he thought it possible that Riley might start Thompson ahead of him and what his reaction would be, Abdul-Jabbar said: “I’d have to go with his decision. That’s what they pay him to do. Pat’s going to do what he has to do, and we’ll have to live with it.� . . . Riley on Utah’s Karl Malone, who is averaging 29 points and 9.6 rebounds: “He’s delivering, that’s it. The great ones deliver. He made the effort to get 28 shots (Friday), he worked at it. When you’re paying someone a million and a half or whatever, he has to deliver.�