Exam Time for the Lakers

They dealt with the pests Wednesday night. The Lakers, avenging their worst defeat of the season, got another struggle against the Golden State Warriors, but then got a 105-99 victory before 14,674 at the Great Western Forum.

Now come the potential problems. Games against Seattle, Houston and Phoenix in a six-day stretch that starts Friday--the first against the team two games ahead of the Lakers in the Pacific Division, the third against the team two games behind them, and the middle one against a team rejuvenated by the return of Hakeem Olajuwon.

They come with the Lakers still not at full strength--Eddie Jones missed his second game in a row because of flu and a sinus infection, prompting Coach Del Harris to start Jon Barry instead of Kobe Bryant--and not at full speed in the momentum sense. But they come nonetheless.

“Let’s get it on,” Bryant said. “It’s going to be nice for the players [today] to be able to rest up, get ready for ‘em. But it’s going to be a big week for us.”

Added Shaquille O’Neal, after getting 33 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks: “It is a critical time.”

The fourth quarter Wednesday wasn’t exactly for yucks either. Having led, 83-65, with 3:05 left in the third period, the Lakers led only 91-86 with 6:34 remaining in the game.

But that’s as close as the Warriors got, close enough to cause a scare, but not a long-term problem. Others get that chance now.

The Barry-for-Bryant switch was supposed to be the only lineup alteration, somewhat anticipated since Harris had talked the night before during the flight home from Portland, Ore., of returning Bryant to a reserve role, then disclosed by Harris about 45 minutes before tipoff. The Elden Cambpell-for-O’Neal change, that was more as if it were made on the run.

Feeling sick, O’Neal trotted back to the locker room just minutes before the starting lineups were announced. That he didn’t return to the bench until 3:30 remained in the first quarter made Campbell’s start much more than a cosmetic move. It made it meaningful, O’Neal, in his third reserve appearance of the season, not entering the game until 1:15 remained in the period.

Campbell took advantage, getting nine points and three rebounds in that time. And then he disappeared, sitting for the entire second quarter while O’Neal piled up 16 points.

The reasons for the Barry-Bryant move were far less cut and dried. Harris hinted that the demotion was partly a punishment--Bryant was late for the 5 p.m. shootaround, held in the evening because the Lakers had returned so late from Oregon--but it couldn’t have been a disciplinary action. Robert Horry also showed late, and he still started. Oh, and Harris was a late arrival.

“There’s various reasons,” is how the coach explained his decision. “But a good enough one is we think Kobe is the best sixth man in the league. We missed that [Tuesday] night. His getting into foul trouble early was a real significant factor for us.”

So Barry got the call, also the night after he missed eight of 10 shots, including seven of eight three-pointers, though he had six assists without a turnover and was part of the lineup that sparked the massive fourth-quarter comeback that fell short.

“My best opportunity of the year, and it happened right after the all-star break, when no one has been in the gym for a while,” Barry had lamented after the Trail Blazer game. “I just didn’t hit my shots.”

Wednesday therefore became not just an opportunity to start for the first time since Nov. 29, 1997, while an Atlanta Hawk and for the 16th time in his 5 1/2-year career, but an opportunity for redemption--against the team his father, Hall-of-Famer Rick, is most associated with, and the one for whom Jon once worked as a ball boy.

He didn’t waste either chance. Typically unspectacular--especially compared to the other Laker shooting guards, Jones and Bryant--Barry still gave a solid accounting. He finished with nine points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

The more obvious problem was that Bryant was as lacking in offensive spark as a reserve as he was as a starter the night before against the Trail Blazers. Midway through the fourth quarter, he still had only six points, one reason the Warriors were able to cut an 18-point deficit late in the third period to 91-86 with 6:01 remaining.