Lakers Seeking a Happy Ending

HOUSTON —  The chase is on, their pursuers believe they smell fear, and the best way out for the Lakers is right in front of them.

They can, and fervently want to, end the series here today in Game 4 of this first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

Otherwise, they risk the oppressive pressure and anxiety of a do-or-die Game 5 at the Great Western Forum on Monday night against what happens to be the NBA’s best do-or-die team and is stocked with do-or-die playmakers.

After their Game 3 pratfall in an effort to sweep this first-round series, the Lakers know it. They recognize the portents.

They are impatiently awaiting the moment: Game 4, looming like a glowing moon on the horizon.

And they cannot deny the gravitational, and emotional, pull.

“We’re anxious right now,” Kobe Bryant said Friday before the Lakers’ workout. “We can’t wait until tomorrow.

“We want to get out there and play. I think today is like the slowest day in the world. We’re all anxious. We want to get out there and kind of get this thing over with.”

Beyond the Lakers’ gut feeling that the Rockets’ momentum has to be stopped here and now, there also are compelling statistical and practical arguments to back up the importance of this game.

In seven seasons under Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, the Rockets have flourished in these situations. Including Thursday’s victory, Houston is 12-4 in elimination games, and is 4-1 in the deciding games of either five- or seven-game series.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are 0-2 in elimination games in the Shaquille O’Neal-Bryant era. And the franchise hasn’t pulled out a series victory after facing elimination since winning successive seven-game series against Utah, Dallas and Detroit en route to the 1988 NBA championship.

So, here is Game 4, and here are the Rockets with Scottie Pippen coming off a career playoff-high 37 points and Charles Barkley ready to shove himself back into the fray and Brent Price shooting well and Rocket confidence boiling again.

And here are the Lakers, bracing for the big moment.

If the Rockets can push the Lakers to another game, who knows what the pressure will do?

Price, who may start today over Cuttino Mobley after his 10-point, seven-assist performance on Thursday, said: “You look around and you’re thinking, can we win three in a row? How tough is it going to be? Is it going to be worth it? . . .

“Now we believe that for sure we can beat this team. All of a sudden, L.A. is doubting a little bit. They don’t want this to go back to L.A.”

After sharp performances in Games 1 and 2--keyed by defensive intensity up and down the Forum floor and blistering shooting--the Lakers succumbed to the Rockets’ energy and star power in Game 3.

They also got outrebounded, 54-42, Barkley taking down 23 rebounds by himself and combining with Pippen for 13 on the offensive boards.

In two games at the Compaq Center this season, the Lakers--4-0 against Houston at the Forum--have lost by 36 points.

“We wanted to put them away,” Bryant said. “We didn’t want to give them any life. Because we know they’ve done it before in the past. . . . We want to take care of it in four. I’m not even thinking about a fifth game right now.”

Said Laker forward Robert Horry, who played on the 1994 and 1995 NBA championship Houston teams: “It’s crucial for us to go out there and play strong, because with this team, you don’t want to give them another chance to beat you.

“We already gave them one more chance. This second chance, that’s a little too much for comfort.”

Determined to maintain the attitude that had helped the Lakers win six consecutive games before Thursday, Coach Kurt Rambis brushed off any suggestion that, in the playoffs, there are different factors involved beyond Xs, O’s and proper teamwork.

It’s only about good basketball, he insisted, not playoff nerves.

“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure,” Rambis said. “This is the playoffs. We’re supposed to play hard, we’re supposed to play together at both ends of the court.

“If we do that, stick to our game plan, do the things we’re capable of doing, we’ll be successful, whether it’s in Game 4 or Game 5.”

Does he believe that Houston, with Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley and Pippen and with such a rich recent playoff past, is an especially difficult team to eliminate?

“I’m not sure I understand your question,” Rambis said. “I mean, they’re a talented team. They have future Hall of Famers on their team. You can’t get away from that. . . .

“I think if we play the way we’re capable of playing and do the things we’re supposed to do, then we’re going to give ourselves a great chance to win. It’s when we deviate from those things [that] we put ourselves in a difficult situation.”

Tomjanovich, for his part, was relaxed and chatting away about his experiences in tough past series.

He recalled the 1994 season, when his team faltered early in the playoffs--interestingly, against Barkley’s Phoenix Suns in a second-round matchup.

The team was being called “Choke City,” and his job was probably on the line before the Rockets turned the tide on a long title-winning run.

He joked that he’d probably be selling ice cream and yogurt today if that team hadn’t responded to the playoff heat so passionately.

“I’m conditioned,” Tomjanovich said. “I’ve gone through this so many times. . . . more than some coaches who have been around 20 years in the league.

“So I’m used to having this crazy feeling.”

TODAY’S GAMES

LAKERS at HOUSTON

2:30 p.m., Channel 4

Lakers lead series, 2-1

ORLANDO at PHILADELPHIA, 9:30 a.m.

76ers lead series, 2-1

SAN ANTONIO at MINNESOTA, noon

Spurs lead series 2-1

****

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

DETROIT 103, ATLANTA 82

Series tied, 2-2; NEXT: Sunday at Atlanta

MIAMI 87, NEW YORK 72

Series tied, 2-2; NEXT: Sunday at Miami

UTAH 90, SACRAMENTO 89

Series tied, 2-2; NEXT: Sunday at Utah