Laker Patchwork Finally Gives Way on Parquet Floor : NBA: Nine-game post-Magic winning streak ends when Celtics take advantage of L.A. lineup that is missing Divac and Campbell.

A lot of Laker dreams have been buried on this parquet floor, but this wasn’t one of them.

When their nine-game post-Magic Johnson winning streak ended Friday night, courtesy of the Boston Celtics, who beat them, 114-91, the Lakers didn’t cry, curse or mutter.

All that remained was pride in what they had done and hope for what the last three weeks might mean.

“I think the level of play during these nine games was incredible,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

“The intensity, the concentration were unparalleled in anything I’ve been around. I’ve played with a lot of teams and a lot of good teams. They all made the playoffs every year, but this still was the most focused I’ve ever seen a team.

“Tonight, we lost it some, but that’s going to happen. I understand that.”

It could happen more than occasionally. The Lakers are not only without Johnson but Vlade Divac, who is scheduled to return from back surgery in six to eight weeks--if you believe the schedule. One Laker said he doesn’t expect to see Divac before March.

Friday, they also were without Elden Campbell, still day-to-day because of his sprained left ankle.

The Lakers came from 15 points behind to win in Miami without Divac or Campbell, but there are only so many rabbits in the hat.

It had been three weeks and two days since Johnson retired. The next night, his shellshocked teammates were beaten by 28 points at Phoenix.

The TV cameras caught Byron Scott with tears running down his face, listening to former teammate Kurt Rambis read a tribute to Johnson.

Scott had said earlier he thought it might be two months before he felt like playing basketball.

Nor was there any confidence in what the Lakers might be.

“I didn’t know and I couldn’t guess,” Scott said Friday. “The only thing I could do was go to practice and see if we could be the kind of team we wanted to be. I don’t think anybody knew. Out of 11 guys, if there weren’t 10 guessing, I would be surprised.”

Nobody knew, everyone hoped . . . and feared.

On Sunday, Nov. 10, in the Forum, after James Worthy read a letter from Johnson that said in part, “Winnin’ time starts now,” the Lakers posted an uninspiring 98-86 victory over a slumping Minnesota team playing its second game in two nights.

After that, they went on to beat three teams with the NBA’s best record, including the Warriors at Oakland.

They held the Rockets to seven points in the fourth quarter, came from 11 behind in the fourth to beat the Bucks, from 15 down at Miami.

They kept it going for 18 minutes Friday, leading 37-30 until the Celtics regrouped. They hit the Lakers with a 13-2 run ending the first half, including four consecutive baskets by John Bagley, the point guard in the absence of Brian Shaw and Dee Brown.

Meanwhile, the three forwards composing the Lakers’ front line were going 67 of a possible 72 minutes--and looking it.

Late in the half, Worthy, on fire earlier, missed an 18-footer from the right wing.

“We can’t settle for that (shot),” Dunleavy yelled to his assistant coaches.

The next time down, Worthy tried an even longer shot and missed it, too.

True to recent history, the Lakers rallied in the third quarter, cutting Boston’s 62-50 lead to 65-62.

But they were running on fumes. The Celtics jumped them and--22 days after their last loss--the Lakers bowed to the inevitable.

“There’s no making up for size,” Dunleavy said. “We tried going small at one point and caught up, but you really aren’t ultimately going to be able to get away with that.

“You’ve got (Larry) Bird in the post a lot of times and double-teams don’t bother him. We don’t like to double-team Bird, but we did tonight.”

Bird, without the foil he has faced since he and Johnson competed for the 1979 NCAA championship, scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists.

He may have been the same, but the matchup wasn’t.

“It’s a lot different (without Johnson),” Bird said later, shrugging, “but there’s not much you can do about it.

“It’s just like he’s still over there and he’s gonna come back sooner or later. He just didn’t show up.

“They’re a completely different ballclub now. There’s still a lot of talent there. They’ll win a lot of games and probably go a long way in the playoffs. But as far as winning a championship, I don’t know.”

The Lakers don’t either, but they know more than they did.

Laker Notes

The Celtics planned to retire Dennis Johnson’s number, but postponed the ceremony so it wouldn’t compete for attention with the first Laker visit since Magic Johnson retired. . . . Said Red Auerbach to the Boston Globe: “There are very few so-called ‘enemies’ I admire and like. Magic is one of them.”