Momentum Still Elusive

A little more than two weeks before the playoffs, Coach Phil Jackson isn’t yet comfortable with his power forwards, can’t decide on a third man in his backcourt, and hasn’t found the momentum he’s sure he’ll need in the playoffs, considering the Lakers will have to arrive full bore, probably against Sacramento or San Antonio.

That’s a full April to-do list, and doesn’t include the time it apparently will take to have Kobe Bryant up and running again. In fact, after six months, it would be difficult to find one pleasant surprise among the Lakers, other than perhaps the late development of Mark Madsen, who played all of five minutes Monday night against Memphis.

Devean George, whom they spent a lot of money on last summer, is capable one game, invisible the next, and all the while going to pieces over referees’ calls.

Yet these Lakers are nothing if not optimistic. In the darkest moments -- Shaquille O’Neal’s dramas, an 11-19 start, casual defensive months, Bryant’s sore knees -- not a single Laker suggested the run of championships might be over at three. So, while jump shots go undefended and a sixth or seventh seeding looms, the Lakers apparently will bring to the playoffs a serious belief in themselves, along with O’Neal, of course, which is probably more important.

“I think we’ll be all right,” Robert Horry said. “When playoffs start, hopefully, I’m praying, that our form will be there.”

Total, uh, confidence. Asked how long it would take for the Lakers to be playoff ready, O’Neal consulted his schedule and said, “Eight games.”

They won’t have a choice in the matter. The NBA will insist they be there in eight games (their magic number for clinching a playoff spot is four). Then everyone will find out together if the Lakers are ready or not, if Horry is ready for more minutes and more production, if Madsen can handle the Western Conference’s signature power forwards, if Rick Fox can make an open 24-foot shot, and if Derek Fisher can stay in front of Mike Bibby, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, or whoever comes along.

First, Jackson said, they have to run together some wins, as they did two seasons ago, when they won their last eight in the regular season, followed by 15 of 16 in the postseason.

“We need to have that happen,” he said. “We need to get that kind of momentum. We’ve got to show some people in the league that we’re coming into these playoffs with some momentum and serious about defending our championship.”

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The Sacramento Kings returned the basketball O’Neal used to score his 20,000th point. It arrived in the Laker offices Tuesday.... The Lakers did not practice Tuesday after playing eight games in 12 days. They’ll return to the court today, practice in the morning and fly tonight to Dallas for a game Thursday night. They’ll play at Memphis on Friday.... Horry, who started the first 12 games of the season and 13 since, might start against the Mavericks. Jackson likes the matchup against Dirk Nowitzki.... Fisher has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, over which he has shot 51%.