ANSWERING THE CALL SHAQ AND KOBE STEP UP.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. - This could not have happened in Salt Lake City in 1997. Could not have been done in the conference finals of 1998. Not in San Antonio in 1999.

A Lakers comeback? On the road? In the most crucial game of the playoffs? To turn the corner on a series? Are you kidding?

If the Lakers at last came of age Friday night - and there is an undeniable feeling that they did - it was because for the first time in the era of Shaq and Kobe, they found leadership from their superstars when they needed it most. From beginning to end.

And because Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were able to move their teammates - with their determination, with their aggression, with their attitude and their poise (not to mention their 51 points) - they were able to pull the Lakers past the Portland Trail Blazers for the dramatic 93-91 Game 3 victory.

And now the Lakers, up 2-1, can take command of the Western Conference finals with a victory today at the Rose Garden.

``I think it was real important to this team that they found that niche, that they could operate - cooperate - together in a way that lifted the spirits of this team,'' coach Phil Jackson said Saturday. ``We had a lot of guys that helped out in other situations . . . . So I think the confidence that they had or brought to the team was what boosted the spirits of the rest of the guys.''

Just as the Lakers always hoped O'Neal and Bryant could. This is, after all, what any franchise expects from its stars.

``We've been doing that all year,'' O'Neal said. ``And the reserves came in and did a great job, too. (Derek) Fisher did an excellent job. (Brian) Shaw, Robert Horry. If we can get play like that from most of the team, then me and Kobe will take of the rest of it.''

But the Lakers' duo, in battling through their own growing pains, tensions with one another and the inevitable maturing process that accompanies failure, have only recently shown this kind of on-court command.

Three years ago, they didn't have the poise it took to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to the Utah Jazz, and they fell 4-1 in the conference semifinals. Two years ago, down 2-0 in the conference finals to the Jazz, they lacked the heart to survive and fell 4-0. It was an ugly repeat last year, when they fell 2-0 to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference semis and were swept again.

This time, having suffered an embarrassing 29-point rout at Staples Center in Game 2, the Lakers let this series become a 1-1 tie. A loss Friday night, a 2-1 deficit, and the pattern would have begun to materialize once more.

``This is the first time since we've been together, that we've really had to lead a team together in the playoffs,'' Bryant said. ``And we were up to the challenge. We're not gonna let our teammates down, we're not gonna let the fans down. We're gonna give it our best. That's all we can expect for ourselves.''

It's what Bryant and O'Neal's teammates have come to rely on this season. Veteran role players Robert Horry, Ron Harper and Brian Shaw have made their contributions, and Glen Rice has occasionally relieved some of the burden. But more often than not, it's now Bryant and O'Neal doing what NBA legends do - making the big plays at the biggest moments.

Bryant did it explicitly, saying he ``wanted to send a message'' and delivering 14 points in the first quarter. O'Neal scored 18 in the second half, and blocked two big shots in the fourth. Bryant, of course, then blocked the potential game-tying attempt at the buzzer.

``When you look at the way Kobe and Shaquille played at key points in the game, they proved themselves able to step to another level,'' said Rick Fox. ``And we'll need them to even go to another place, whether it's Game 4, 5 or 6.''

Jackson said winning games like this will only help O'Neal's confidence after a long history of seeing his teams in Orlando and L.A. get swept out of the playoffs.

``I felt like he really broke through a barrier,'' Jackson said. ``He had a weight on his shoulders, and he really came through.''

In Jackson's mind, the Lakers have taken a major step toward becoming championship material.

``On the road we hadn't shown that kind of muster, to bring it back from a 10-point deficit. We'd done it (in the regular season), but that's just not playoff basketball quite. In playoffs, it's a little bit different, and we hadn't shown that.

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Photo:

(color) The Lakers' Kobe Bryant (8) and Shaquille O'Neal double-team the Trail Blazers' Arvydas Sabonis on Friday night in Portland.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer