Cranking It Up

On a Sunday they’d hoped not to work, the Lakers reported to their El Segundo practice facility and faced more of a Western Conference finals they’d hoped not to prolong.

Pushed again to a Game 6, playing again to avoid a road Game 7, they won’t be propelled by Derek Fisher’s oh-point-four moment this time, but burdened by their oh-my-God imprecision.

If they aren’t careful, aren’t dynamic, they could play their last game together at Staples Center tonight, for if they lose, the only thing between them and an uncertain summer would be Wednesday night’s game at Target Center, where they’ve lost four of their last five games.

The NBA Finals start Sunday, with or without them.

Too much to ponder, perhaps, so Shaquille O’Neal went home to Beverly Hills and left Rick Fox in his place to answer for a very critical game near the end of a very trying season.

“The fact that I’m here addressing you guys means that we have enough grumpy people that it has fallen upon my shoulders to come in and meet with you guys,� Fox said, smiling. “Which is good. That’s always been a good sign for us. We’ve now shifted back into the mode we need to be in, which is less laughter and more seriousness about what is at hand. These opportunities are few and far between for a lot of people in this league.

“This is an opportunity for all of us. We are not defending champions. We were blessed to knock off the defending champions. And now, if not closing out Game 6, we’re going to find ourselves in a position where anything happens in Game 7. This is an opportunity we only have now and may not have again.�

They lost their first close-out game in four years Saturday night, primarily because Kevin Garnett wasn’t done and the Timberwolves’ jump shooters took turns being wide open. The Lakers flew back from Minneapolis in the early Sunday hours, slept some, sat through a replay of Game 5, then shot a few free throws before leaving.

In between, they talked about playing better defense and getting the basketball to O’Neal in better places, and the dozen other little things that allowed them to win three of the first four games in the series.

“Intensity,� Karl Malone said on his way off the floor. “Just intensity.�

Jackson had feared the Timberwolves hadn’t stopped believing in themselves, and then the Timberwolves spent much of the second half with a double-digit lead, confirming it.

In 90 minutes Sunday, he covered for his Lakers the basics, noting the “phantom three-second call� that cost the Lakers a late possession, the technical foul Kobe Bryant drew and how it could have affected his relationship with the referees for the rest of the game (“They’re human,� he said. “Somewhat.�) and the fact that O’Neal was involved enough in the offense, and that what he did with the ball was up to him.

Afterward, Bryant sat to the side and considered their position, sturdy in the home game still left to play, fragile in that they still needed to play well to win it.

“That’s why the playoffs are so dangerous,� he said. “The momentum changes from game to game. That’s why it’s important for us to deliver that knockout blow as soon as we can.�

That occasion passed and now what they’ve got is a second chance at it. They are 8-0 in the playoffs at Staples Center this season, 38-7 since it opened five years ago. They defeated the Timberwolves with some ease in Games 3 and 4, primarily because O’Neal was a ferocious defender and rebounder and a few guys made their shots.

That the Timberwolves made it back to Los Angeles with Sam Cassell playing sparingly or not at all testifies to their determination, and to the Lakers’ inability to take advantage of his ailing back -- sore when the series began and improving not at all -- or his replacement, Darrick Martin. Outside of Game 3, when he scored 14 points in the first quarter, Gary Payton has been unexceptional.

But while Jackson allowed that the Lakers “definitely� should be benefiting more from Cassell’s injury, he laid his expectations on the backcourt as a whole.

The most lively guard on the floor Saturday night was Fred Hoiberg, hanging on a fourth-quarter jump shot, drawing a foul against Bryant, completing the three-point play, edging the Timberwolves away from the Lakers.

Latrell Sprewell made jumpers and Wally Szczerbiak broke free from Fox and the Laker shots came too late.

“We lost,� Fox said. “We lost because we didn’t play as desperately as the Minnesota Timberwolves played.

“Some of those guys played like MVPs for a day. That’s what they had to do to win Game 5. You talk about them playing with the type of tempo that favors them. It’s easy to play that tempo on your home floor. You get into our arena, Staples Center, we’re masters of controlling the tempo there. So we know what we need to do to win that game.�

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No Place Like Home

The Lakers are unbeaten at home in the playoffs. Home and away statistics:

HOME GAMES (8-0)

*--* OPPONENT GAME RESULT FG% L.A. FT OPP. FT HOUSTON 1 72-71 329 16-28 11-16 2 98-94 453 23-27 19-30 5 97-88 500 17-27 17-22 SAN ANTONIO 3 105-81 569 25-40 12-22 4 98-90 500 24-32 18-22 6 88-76 446 24-41 21-26 MINNESOTA 3 100-89 515 25-43 12-14 4 92-85 415 21-31 16-21 AVERAGES: 93.8-84.3 466 21.9-33.6 15.8-21.6 AWAY GAMES (3-5) OPPONENT GAME RESULT FG% L.A. FT Opp. FT HOUSTON 3 Lost, 91-102 434 14-24 19-27 4 Won, 92-88 ot 427 19-34 16-19 SAN ANTONIO 1 Lost, 78-88 377 22-33 9-21 2 Lost, 85-95 514 7-18 18-30 5 Won, 74-73 431 6-13 9-17 MINNESOTA 1 Won, 97-88 474 17-23 14-15 3 Lost, 71-89 333 15-29 16-19 5 Lost, 96-98 500 13-24 26-32 AVERAGES: 85.5-90-1 436 14.1-24.8 15.9-22.5

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