Thursday, April 25, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.
SUN WIRE REPORTS
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- One week into the postseason, and the days have grown long and the media horde has grown large and, already weary of it all, Shaquille O'Neal needed to amuse himself Wednesday.
So he emerged from the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room, drew in the assembled crowd like a 7-foot magnet, faked to his left, then moved right, stalled for a second and moved forward again, as cameramen and microphone holders tried to keep pace without tripping over one another.
A bored big man is a dangerous thing.
After three days off, the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers at last resume their first-round series tonight at Staples Center, the Lakers up 1-0 but carrying all the momentum of a banana slug in a sandbox.
"Today," Derek Fisher said, "was the toughest day."
The Lakers spent three days picking apart their Game 1 mistakes and preparing for an aggressive counterattack by Portland: more Bonzi Wells, more defensive pressure on the Lakers' guards, more swarming defense to deny O'Neal the ball.
Apart from the strategizing, there was the small matter of increasing the amperage after the scheduling lull. Coach Phil Jackson ordered up a full-court scrimmage and a number of drills to try to inject energy.
"You lose that competitive edge," Jackson said. "That veneer that you have that carries the course of competitive drive, and the idea you can go back and remember this team viscerally -- not just by videotape, but you actually know the feel of them and the smell of them and whatever else that has your edge, the competitive edge you want to carry. And it's a long wait."
Since Sunday, the Blazers have been to Portland and back, and Derek Anderson's digestive system has been to hell and back. Anderson, who scored 22 points in Game 1, spent most of the last three days battling a stomach flu. He's expected to play tonight.
O'Neal got some needed rest for his arthritic big toe. Robert Horry reported improvement in his abdominal area, where a hematoma had bothered him last weekend.
The Blazers stayed in striking distance throughout the 95-87 loss, despite getting little from their backcourt -- Wells and Damon Stoudamire combined for 12 points -- and shooting 36 percent as a team.
Portland hasn't been shy about its attack plan for Game 2. The Blazers believe they can disrupt the Lakers' offense with pressure on the guards.
"We don't think they have good ballhandlers," Ruben Patterson said.
The Lakers spent much of the break preparing for that approach.
"We expect their pressure to pick up defensively, and hopefully we'll be better at handling that," Kobe Bryant said.
Wells has been the Blazers' second-best scorer all season but managed only eight points Sunday, when he was primarily guarded by Rick Fox.
"They've talked about posting up Bonzi more. They feel as though we don't have anybody to stop him," Fox said. "I take that as a personal challenge. That's like a slap in my face. But (I'll) deal with that accordingly."
The Lakers' attack doesn't figure to change much, though they are hoping to free up O'Neal for more easy baskets, particularly when the Blazers are employing a small lineup.
But O'Neal didn't spend much time dwelling on the game plan. He took in a movie Monday ("Changing Lanes"), went to law-enforcement class Tuesday.
"Wednesday, you start to get focused," he said. "And then Thursday morning, you wake up with 'the face.' I learned a long time ago not to stay amped all four days because all voltage starts out high, ends up low. So I want to turn my light on at the right time."
Bryant had to laugh at his fellow star's nonchalance. O'Neal, he pointed out, doesn't need to dwell on the details.
"Yeah, that's my job," Bryant said. "It's my job, being the guard. I have to make sure everything is in place and going around and talk to the guys and make sure we understand what's going on. That's what I do. We split assignments."
Wednesday's games
PISTONS 96, RAPTORS 91: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jerry Stackhouse scored a playoff career-high 31 points as Detroit became the first team to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA playoffs.
Game 3 of the best-of-five series is Saturday in Toronto.
Jon Barr added 13 points, Cliff Robinson and Corliss Williamson scored 10 each, and Ben Wallace had 15 rebounds and seven points. Chris Childs had 22 points and 14 assists for Toronto, and Antonio Davis added 21 points.
MAVERICKS 122, TIMBERWOLVES 110: At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash forced the all-out tempo they love, running and shooting Dallas past Minnesota for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Nowitzki had 31 points and 15 rebounds, Finley had 28 points and eight rebounds, and Nash contributed 17 points and 10 assists.
The league's highest-scoring team also got a boost from its two late-season additions as Nick Van Exel scored 17 points and Raef LaFrentz had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
With so much coming from so many, Dallas was able to easily withstand Kevin Garnett's 31 points and 18 rebounds, and 25-point performances by Wally Szczerbiak and Chauncey Billups.
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