ACTION JACKSON; LAKERS COACH HAS TEAM, FANS THINKING NBA TITLE LAKERS SEEING GOLD UNDER JACKSON.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

The lineup is largely the same, built around stars Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice. Most of the supporting cast is the same too.

What's new is Lakers coach Phil Jackson who has the team producing results Los Angeles fans haven't seen since the late 1980s.

With the season nearing its halfway point, the Lakers have the best record in the league, 32 wins against seven losses.

Their recent 16-game winning streak, which ended Friday in Indiana, ranked as the second best in franchise history and the NBA's longest in four seasons. They are on pace for 67 wins, a mark that would place them second in Lakers history to the 1971-72 team that won 69 games and the championship.

At the heart of the team's success is the man with the gray beard, the round spectacles and the six shiny championship rings. That would be Jackson.

``We always had the players, the talent,'' O'Neal said. ``I think Phil is the manager of the talent. We're probably going to win our 50 or 60 games like we always do and get to the playoffs.

``But I think Phil's going to be the guy that takes us over the hump. In many ways, he already has,'' O'Neal said.

The scary part of all this success, though, is the Lakers are still far from playing at their peak. Jackson's triangle offense took the Chicago Bulls two seasons to master, and the Lakers, expected to stumble as they learned it, are actually ahead of schedule.

``We're further along than actually the Bulls were the first season that I coached them (1989-90),'' Jackson said. ``They have more confidence in staying inside the offensive patterns that we ask them to play in. That's really good. And they've had more success.''

With Jackson pushing him to excel, O'Neal is having a most-valuable- player type of season.

With Jackson holding the reins, the 21-year-old Bryant is turning his flashy moves into victories, rather than into turnovers.

With Jackson pushing the buttons, the Lakers' role players - Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and A.C. Green - are making key contributions at key moments.

And a team once derided for its lack of commitment to defense now ranks among the NBA's best in points allowed (90.9 per game) and opponents' shooting percentage (40.8).

It's not that the Lakers were incapable of such play under former coaches Kurt Rambis (last season) and Del Harris (1994-99). But they are responding better to Jackson, who arrived in Los Angeles with six championships earned as coach of the Bulls.

``If you come out and guys are upset with a coach because you haven't gone past a certain round, you kind of lose faith in him, and it takes over you,'' said Horry, a seven-year veteran.

``You go out and you don't play as hard as you normally would. You might think you are, but really you're not. With Phil here, guys respect him a lot more, and they know the things he's done, and guys go out there and play to the best of their abilities,'' Horry said.

Jackson arrived with a glowing resume, but also a five-year, $30 million contract that ensures stability and provides a clear statement about who is in charge.

``He's a no-nonsense type of guy,'' O'Neal said. ``He lays it all down flat. When the general's around, the soldiers take care of business. . . . Obviously he knows what he's talking about, because he's been there and we've seen that he's been there. We want to get there, so we have no other choice but to listen.''

They've listened so well that the Lakers have yet to lose consecutive games this season. They've come so far that when they lost to the Sonics on Monday - their second loss in a three-game span - fans and pundits treated this minute losing ``trend'' as a near crisis.

Still, the Lakers are grounded in reality, thanks to not only the arrival of Jackson, but because of the veteran additions of former Laker Green and former Bull Ron Harper, who have five championships between them. They are keeping the rambunctious youngsters in line, and focused on the future.

``This is early,'' Green said. ``I've seen this chemistry before, I've seen this scenario many a times played out. So I'm not really convinced. It's not where you are right now, in January that matters. You want that other J, and that's June.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo: (1 -- 2 color) Lakers coach Phil Jackson talks to Robert Horry during Monday's loss to the Seattle Supersonics. The loss ended the team's 14-game home winning streak.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(3) Lakers coach Phil Jackson, center, whistles for his team's attention at a recent game, with assistants Jim Cleamons, left, and Tex Winter.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer