NBA PLAYOFFS : Lakers Turn Blowout Into Mere Rout : Western Conference: Trail Blazers take a 36-point lead in the first half, then cruise to a 115-102 victory.

PORTLAND, Ore. —  They have a tiger by the tail, it’s plain to see.

Like hamburger thrown into a big cat’s cage, the Lakers were fed to the Portland Trail Blazers, who mauled them Thursday night, running up an astounding 36-point lead in the first half and winning, 115-102, for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

The Lakers had Dyan Cannon along for support and a telephone message from Sam Perkins, delivered to every member of the traveling party.

“Don’t be afraid,” Perkins’ message said in part.

The Trail Blazers had less glamour, less sentiment and a lot more muscle.

Let’s count the things that aren’t going right for the Lakers:

--They didn’t keep the Trail Blazers off the fast break.

--They didn’t stay even with the Trail Blazers on the boards.

--They won’t get to draw for Shaquille O’Neal.

The Trail Blazers outscored them on the break in the first half, 25-0.

They outrebounded them, 26-10, in the first 24 minutes.

Shortly before the end of the half, they led by an astounding 73-37.

“Everything we were afraid of happened,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We talked about the board game having severe implications--and they went 26-10. Basically the game was over after the first half.

“If they do that, we can’t beat them. No ifs, ands, buts about it.”

Said Portland forward Buck Williams: “We kind of set ourselves up when we have those halves. Everybody kinda expects those halves every time we walk on the floor. It’s a level you aspire to.”

The one-sided game lived up to its billing. The Lakers started the night 14-point underdogs.

This was a matchup of the league’s No. 4 scoring team against the No. 24, the No. 1 rebounding team against No. 19.

But they still had their sense of humor.

Dunleavy told everyone he could find in Portland he was bringing Magic Johnson and Perkins.

To which Portland’s Rick Adelman replied: Why not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

Said Dunleavy: “It’s a thought.”

Laker hearts remained light--right up until the opening tip.

After that, the rout was on. Byron Scott hit a 20-footer on the first Laker possession for a 2-0 lead, their only one of the game.

They were down by 10 points within seven minutes.

They were down by 20 within 15.

They were down by 30 within 22.

The were down by 36 within 23.

It has been been 15 years since the Trail Blazers won a playoff series from the Lakers and they seemed intent on packing a decade-and-a-half’s revenge into 24 minutes. With a fearsome succession of breaks--Jerome Kersey scoring on a layup, Cliff Robinson on a dunk, Clyde Drexler on another dunk--they jumped to a 73-37 lead.

On the positive side for the Lakers, none of them was taken prisoner.

They played a lot better in the second half, too.

Of course, it was too late.

Scott, who likes to look at his teammates’ faces before games to see if they look ready, skipped it Thursday night. Mistake, he said later.

“Tonight I didn’t,” he said. “Saturday I will. If I see somebody who looks like he’s not (ready), I’m going to talk to him about it. This is a big series and it seems like Game 2 is always the important game.

“We have a lot of guys who haven’t been in the playoffs before and they have to understand that in the playoffs, you’ve got to be ready from the opening tip on. You can’t just pick it up and hope to compete against a team as good as this one.

“They (Trail Blazers) have been sitting here, practicing and getting ready. When you do that, you’re looking for fresh meat. You want to play somebody besides each other.”

Thursday night the Trail Blazers dined on prime grade Laker.

Laker Notes

Portland Coach Rick Adelman: “We were just so good defensively. Our execution in the first half was ideal.” . . . Terry Teagle scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, leading a late rally. Byron Scott also scored 22 points. . . . Four Trail Blazers had 20 or more, led by Cliff Robinson, who came off the bench to get 24. Clyde Drexler, back after missing most of the last two weeks, had 22, making nine of 17 shots. . . . Terry Porter made all three of his three-point attempts. . . . The Vlade Divac-Kevin Duckworth duel fizzled. Divac scored five points with three rebounds. Duckworth had eight points, three rebounds.

* TAKING ADVANTAGE:

The Seattle SuperSonics nullify Golden State’s home-court edge by winning the opener of their best-of-five series, 117-109. C7