New Guy Finds Win Nothing to Laugh at

One giant step for . . .

A lot of people.

The Lakers got a victory over another division leader Friday night, beating the Miami Heat, 94-85, before 17,505, and Robert Horry got to gain 15 games in the standings. Talk about your happy days around the Forum.

“People are gunning for you now,” said Horry, acquired earlier in the day from the last-place Suns along with Joe Kleine for Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson. “Whereas in Phoenix, people were laughing at you.”

Horry arrived midway through the fourth quarter, just as the Lakers were pulling away to their 11th consecutive home victory behind game highs of 34 points and 14 rebounds from Shaquille O’Neal. He took part of his physical in the locker room and will finish today in time to practice with his new team, a workout scheduled for the benefit of the new arrivals.

What happened on the court, Horry could appreciate. Brought here largely because of his defense, he will be joining a Laker team coming off a good showing without him, a game in which the Heat, never mistaken for explosive, was still held about six points below its season average.

Now, Horry, supplying the rare talent of a small forward who blocks shots, goes into the mix.

“I look at this as a team that doesn’t need any scoring,” he said. “They’ve already got that.”

This was the second installment in a seven-game home stand, the Lakers’ longest in 18 years, since 1978-79 when Jerry West was coach and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an all-star. It started with a four-point victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, but this opponent, the Heat, was clearly the toughest of the 2 1/2 weeks, the Detroit Pistons close in record but distant in stature.

“The thing you have to be careful with on long home stands is staying concentrated on your work,” Laker Coach Del Harris said. “There’s so many distractions at home that it’s hard to be home for an extended period of time and remember what you’re here for.

“We’ve got to dodge the complacency and ease with which it might look to be. . . . We will have to work real hard to defeat the enemy, which is human nature.”

It sounded like something Pat Riley would say. In this case, though, Riley’s problems were real, not what may be, this four-game trip having already included losses at Utah and Seattle before the Heat even got to the Forum.

The Lakers tried to add to his problems, building a seven-point lead late in the second quarter. That was down to 44-41 at halftime, then a 55-55 tie midway through the third period, before the Lakers pulled ahead again for another edge heading into the fourth, 68-66.

It was still close as late as 74-68. But the Lakers went on an 14-4 run from there, turning the game into a runaway at 88-72, despite a big second half from Alonzo Mourning that enabled him to finish with 31 points and 13 rebounds.

While the centers came up big, it wasn’t a vintage performance by the point guards. Miami’s Tim Hardaway made only six of 18 shots and missed all seven three-pointers to go with his 11 assists. The Lakers’ Nick Van Exel made three of 16 shots and his point total matched his number--9.

Earlier in the day, the Lakers put Corie Blount on the injured list, as expected. The reserve forward, who suffered torn ligaments in his right thumb Dec. 30, is expected to be out four to six weeks.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

A Season of Expectations

The Lakers acquired nine new players this season, including Shaquille O’Neal and his $120-million contract. In turn, with big acquisitions come big expectations. Throughout the season, The Times will monitor O’Neal’s numbers along with how the team compares to some of the best Laker teams in history.

GAME 37 OF 82

* Record 27-10

* Standing 1st place

Pacific Division

1996-97 LAKERS VS. THE BEST LAKER TEAMS

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Year Gm. 3 Overall 1987-88 3-0 62-20 1986-87 2-1 65-17 1984-85 1-2 62-20 1979-80 2-1 60-22 1971-72 3-0 69-13

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Note: The five teams above all won NBA championships

THE SHAQ SCOREBOARD

Basketball Numbers

Friday’s Game:

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Min FG FT Reb Blk Pts 41 15-26 4-11 14 4 34

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1996-97 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 39.6 .563 .484 13.1 3.0 26.6

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1995-96 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 36.0 .573 .487 11.0 2.1 26.6

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Money Numbers

* Friday’s Salary: $130,658.53

* Season Totals: $4,834,365.61

* FACTOID: With 9:26 remaining in Game 37 of the 1987-88 season, the Lakers trailed the Knicks, 90-87. Laker A.C. Green and Knick Pat Cummings got tangled up under the boards going for a rebound, starting a bench-clearing fight. After order was restored, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made six consecutive sky hooks and the Lakers won, 113-112. “I couldn’t do anything during the fight, so I did what I had to after the fight,” Abdul-Jabbar said.