Lakers destined to win?

LOS ANGELES — If Detroit was supposed to be playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals this season, the Los Angeles Lakers weren’t.

The Pistons were tipped to go all the way to the Last Dance since Day 1 of the playoffs. Or at least that’s how the oddsmakers saw it. In the Eastern Conference, the only stumbling blocks to the Pistons’ advance to the Finals were Indiana and New Jersey. But neither the Pacers nor the Nets had the bench depth or defensive intensity that made the Pistons easily the most frightening squad in the Atlantic and Central.

As if to serve notice that they were ready to rumble, the Pistons won 16 of their last 19 games in the regular season. With midseason recruit Rasheed Wallace fitting nicely into coach Larry Brown’s scheme of things, Detroit suddenly had a five-man rotation that could at least stand up to the giants in the West.

The Lakers, however, were a different story.

Throughout the season, the Tinseltown squad was beset by internal problems. They feuded and squabbled. Their egos couldn’t fit into the Staples Center. Shaquille O’Neal didn’t like Kobe Bryant’s take-charge mentality. Gary Payton grumbled because of lack of playing time down the stretch in crucial games. Bryant was in and out of court, the kind where lawyers–not players–argued, not scored, points. Karl Malone and Rick Fox were frustrated because of recurring injuries. Jackson broke off contract negotiations for an extension before the All-Star break, indicating a crease in his relations with team owner Jerry Buss notwithstanding his affair with the boss’ daughter Jeanie.

The situation was ripe for an implosion. Jackson did what he could to hold the pieces together. He tried Zen, inspirational movies, motivational books, yoga and all sorts of psychological tricks. Somehow, Jackson pushed the right buttons to get the Lakers to play hard enough as a unit to snatch the Pacific Division title and the No. 2 seed in the West from Sacramento by a game. Surely, fate had a hand in the Lakers’ 105-104 overtime win over Portland in their last regular season outing and the Kings’ unexpected collapse in the homestretch.

The Lakers dumped Houston in the first round of the playoffs as expected. But they had the homecourt disadvantage against San Antonio. The outlook dimmed for Jackson when the Spurs raced to a 2-0 series lead. But the Lakers clawed back to even the count then in the pivotal Game 5 on the road, Derek Fisher hit that miracle buzzer-beater with 0.4 of a second left to shock the Spurs, 74-73. Back at the Staples Center, the Lakers wouldn’t be denied the clincher. San Antonio capitulated before the opening tip.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves enjoyed the homecourt edge over the Lakers but the situation was reversed from Game 1. Los Angeles stunned the Wolves, 97-88, in the opener then won thrice at home to seal it in six. Sam Cassell’s absence in Game 6 was a huge handicap for Minnesota. Was it fate that struck down Cassell and paved the way for the Lakers to advance to the Finals?

Payton and Malone took major paycuts for the chance to earn a ring in Los Angeles. Their motivation was clear from the onset. Payton left Milwaukee to sign a two-year Lakers deal with the option to leave after the first season at the mid-level exception rate of about $5 Million. Malone bailed out of Utah to play for only $1 Million this year–a far cry from the $19 Million he pocketed with the Jazz the previous year.

Payton was on the Seattle team that lost to Chicago in the1996 Finals but said the Sonics fell into a 0-3 hole before bowing out in six because they were scared of Michael Jordan. Now, he said they’re not scared of anybody and they’re certainly not scared of the Pistons.

Surely, Payton and Malone must be rewarded for their self-sacrifice if that is their destiny.

Asked if this was his last hurrah the other day, Jackson replied: "I don’t think anybody in the NBA in this day and age anticipates you’re going to have a 12-man squad come back and play. Our team is no different this year. We anticipate the players are here for an opportunity and we’re trying to make the best of that as a team."

Jackson, too, hinted that fate had something to do with bringing Payton and Malone to the Lakers for a championship purpose.

The opportunity has come for the Lakers to face their destiny.