Latest Series Should Be More Respectable

SALT LAKE CITY — Del Harris kills me. I mean, the guy really is pretty funny. You should have seen the silver fox at the Rose Garden, night before last, after his Lakers sent those Oregon people packing. He was happier than a lumberjack with a big slab of wood.

As soon as the Portland Trail Blazers slept with the fishes, the Laker coach did a little Texas two-step along the hardwood, practically skipping. He high-fived every person in a purple uniform. He gave each Laker a slap, a tickle, a hoot or a holler. And, as he got to the tunnel, leading to the Laker locker room, Harris took one last look at the departing Portland throng.

“You wanted us,” he said. “You got us.”

A lot of the Lakers felt this way. For some reason, Harris’ players had a very strong impression that the Trail Blazers felt pleased to draw them for a first-round playoff opponent. I guess because Portland won the majority of their clashes this season, the Lakers sensed a kind of smugness, a feeling that the Trail Blazers were hot, and L.A. was not.

Respect is a real issue in the NBA. All it takes is the appearance of overconfidence, a teeny-weeny speck of disrespect, to make a team like the Lakers do a burn.

To a man, the Lakers seemed to resent that Portland felt lucky to be playing them.

Not 15 minutes after L.A. closed out the series, taking Game 4, 95-91, did Harris state it loud and clear. This is not a coach who rubs noses in dirt, but it was as if ol’ Delmer just couldn’t resist.

Among his first words were: “On a personal level, I can’t help but say the Blazers made a mistake in wanting to play us in the playoffs.”

Tell ‘em, Del.

And he wasn’t alone.

“Remember, be careful what you wish for,” came the voice of Laker center-genie Shaquille O’Neal.

Chris Dudley of the Trail Blazers got wind of Harris’ remarks. He said: “I think that’s ridiculous. We ‘wanted’ the Lakers in that we had the last game of the season. If we lose, we play Seattle. If we win, we play the Lakers. What are we supposed to do, lose?”

Too late, Dud.

Oh, and I also liked the Laker coach’s other parting shot, the one regarding the rude way that Dudley chose to bushwhack Shaq near the basket in Game 3.

Portland’s players called it hard, clean basketball. Dudley said he was simply trying to not let O’Neal score. Shaq called the commissioner’s office to warn, You Do Something, Or I Will. Nick Van Exel said maybe it was time for a Laker to put a Trail Blazer down. And Harris, well, he said Dudley’s foul was like killing somebody who stood between you and an office promotion.

A disbelieving Dudley replied: “Comparing it to murdering your boss! Come on!”

Del had made his point, though. Don’t go messing with Shaq.

“It’s tough to pull on Superman’s cape,” the Laker coach reminded those who dared.

And so, this bridge swings us into the melody of the Utah Jazz, who welcome the Lakers here today for Game 1 of what should be quite an entertaining series. I can’t help but wonder what the Utes of America have in store for their guests today. Respect? Disrespect? No respect? What?

There were some at the recent Jazz-Clipper series who felt the Delta Center was not too hospitable to our lost little L.A. lambs. There were taunts from the stands, including a number of Send-Us-a-Real-Opponent signs and banners. And then, when Clipper desperado Bo Outlaw got tangled up with disgruntled postal worker Mailman Malone, I gather several Utah judges volunteered to make sure Outlaw got sent to Boot Hill.

Personally, I adore Utah.

Most folks are friendly, and you can’t see the air.

But that doesn’t mean the Lakers are in for an easy time. The Jazz is a good team. Delta Center is bigger and louder than Delta Burke. The whole population of Salt Lake City is ready to rock and roll, except for the ones who don’t.

Up in Portland last week, 21,000-plus had the nerve to shake “Shaq Whackers” and “Shaq Smackers” at the Lakers--little plastic novelty noisemakers, designed to annoy O’Neal’s eardrums. Trail Blazer fans also waved balloons in Laker faces, while they were at it. (What will they bring next year . . . kazoos? Beanie babies?)

After the game, O’Neal made it a point to tell the people of Portland to put those noisemakers where the sun seldom appeared, if you know what I mean.

Repeatedly.

I doubt Utah will show the Lakers any such disrespect. They mess with Superman, well, we mess with Mailman.