Ross Will Have Hands Full

Kobe Bryant plays for the Lakers and Steve Nash plays for the Phoenix Suns, so Quinton Ross figures to be busy regardless of the Clippers’ next playoff opponent.

Ross led the Clippers’ strong defense in the first-round playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets, and his teammates said they would lean on him again in the Western Conference semifinals.

“We definitely need Q Ross out there doing what he does,” Corey Maggette said after practice Wednesday at the Spectrum health club in El Segundo.

“Q Ross really sets the tone for us on defense, with his intensity and effort, and that’s big for us. Just look at what he did against Denver.”

Containing Denver star forward Carmelo Anthony was the defensive priority for Coach Mike Dunleavy. Although other players helped in Dunleavy’s schemes, Ross had primary responsibility for Anthony, who shot only 33.3% from the field.

With an ineffective No. 1 option, Denver shot 38% and lost in five games.

“People just don’t understand how important Quinton Ross is to this basketball team,” point guard and co-captain Sam Cassell said. “The defense he plays ... “

The Lakers lead the Suns, 3-2, in their best-of-seven first-round series that continues tonight at Staples Center.

If the Lakers win tonight, the Laker-Clipper series would begin Saturday, and the Clippers would have home-court advantage.

Bryant, who led the NBA in scoring, and Nash, the league leader in assists, present different challenges, but Ross would play a key role in guarding either All-Star.

“I played with Gary Payton, ‘the Glove,’ but Quinton ranks up there as one of the top defenders I’ve ever played with,” 13-year veteran Vin Baker said. “We have schemes, and we have different things that we like to do defensively.

“But you always need that one player, a guy who goes above and beyond the scheme, to get everybody else going. Sam does it on the offensive end, and Q does it on the defensive end.”

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Center Zeljko Rebraca, sidelined most of the season because of heart and conditioning problems, experienced chest pains and light headedness again before practice and was scheduled to consult with a cardiologist, a team spokesman said.

Rebraca was put on the inactive list for Game 5 against Denver because of chest pains. He underwent a noninvasive procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat Nov. 30. It was his second such procedure in three years.

“Any time he’s not at practice, it becomes a little more concerning to me,” Dunleavy said of Rebraca, who also sat out 50 games because of his heart while with the Detroit Pistons in 2002-03.

“Nothing the doctors have said seems to concern them. They think it’s a natural progression.”