DESTINED FOR DYNASTY - OR NOT? STANDARDS OF HISTORY WILL COME INTO PLAY IF LAKERS CAN EXTEND RUN.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

The history books make this much clear: Building a dynasty used to be a lot simpler. You know, round up some loyal minions, raise an army, invade a few unfriendly neighbors, smite your enemies, then hand over the empire to your kids and hope they don't screw it up.

If you were a Ming in China between 1368 and 1644, dominating the competition was pretty much your birthright. The Ming Dynasty ruled for 276 years, followed by the Qing Dynasty, which lasted 267 years, all of which makes modern bar-room debates over the 1960s Celtics vs. the 1990s Bulls seem a tad insignificant by comparison.

Then again, when Ming Tai Zu's army was chasing off the Mongols, he didn't have to contend with a burdensome luxury tax, his troops weren't ravaged by free agency, and he certainly never saw the likes of Dikembe Mutombo's sharp elbows or Vince Carter's mad hops. To say nothing of the threat posed by fiendish, free-spending wanna-be dynasties named Allen and Cuban and Maloof.

No, times were much simpler back then.

History also makes this much clear: We remember dynasties, and those who built them - from Ming to the Kennedys to Blake Carrington to Michael Jordan. Dominate an era, and there will be tomes dedicated to your greatness - you're Babe Ruth, Bill Russell, Jerry Seinfeld. Dominate a season or two, and you're a footnote - you're Mark Rypien, David Robinson, Regis Philbin.

So here stand the 2001-02 Lakers, winners of back-to-back championships, and destined for what, exactly? Virtual immortality, or Page 1,437 of the 21st Century Sports Almanac, in an entry next to Trent Dilfer?

Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Co. have already proven their superiority, twice. And yet they have proven so little. The goal now moves from accomplishing greatness to extending it. Add a couple of more championships, and they can be called a dynasty.

The Lakers all know this, which is why Rick Fox is suddenly unable to suppress a big, goofy smile at the mere mention of the topic. Winning two titles was nice, but dominating the era is now the absolute goal.

``Yes it is, yes it is,'' Fox says. ``That's where my mind is at. I definitely could speak for Derek (Fisher) and Robert (Horry) and Brian (Shaw) and Shaq and Kobe, because we've had those kind of conversations - `Hey, let's do this for a while.' And look back and know we weren't a flash in the pan, we were a staple.

``I've watched the Yankees do it now for six or so years. You'll always remember the Yankees for that. I know I always will. And if you want to rise above the individual accolades and be remembered for a lifetime, we do this three or four more times. ... I'd like to finish out my contract 6 for 6.''

At present, the Lakers must be considered an NBA dynasty-in-the-making. They have two championships in hand, the league's best center in O'Neal and arguably its best guard in Bryant.

``I think there's the makings of it,'' says Golden State Warriors coach and former Celtics great Dave Cowens.

The Lakers' core is solid, and will be together for some time. O'Neal will be 30 in March and is signed through 2006. Bryant is just 23 and locked up until 2005.

The dynamic duo has a supporting cast that is cohesive, experienced, relatively young and - significantly - also under contract. Fox, 32, is signed through 2005. Fisher, 27, is signed through 2005-06. Horry, 31, has an option to play through 2004.

``Barring injury, and barring some unexplained happenstance to this team, there's no reason why this team can't win another title,'' says coach Phil Jackson, who presided over the Bulls dynasty of the '90s - six championships from 1991-98.

Jackson knows championships, and he knows dynasties, and he knows it is ridiculously premature to start slapping labels on the Shaq-Kobe Lakers. But in this age of instant gratification and 24-hour sports talk radio, it's hopeless to debate the timing of the discussion. It is already here.

So when, exactly, will the historians bequeath the big ``D'' upon the Lakers? If they three-peat this June? If they win two more in the next four years? Five out of 10? Again, the Ming clan didn't have this problem. But the sports dynasty has no set definitions, so there is no precise course for the Lakers to follow.

``Dynasties are always in the making. It's like autopsies - you recognize it after the fact,'' says professor Charles Korr, a sports historian at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Defining a dynasty, Korr says, is akin to the Supreme Court's method for identifying obscenity - ``You recognize it when you see it.''

There is, of course, no mistaking today's New York Yankees, who have won three consecutive World Series, four of the past five and are at this moment battling for a fifth championship in six years. A dynasty, no doubt about it.

Yet some will quibble over the definitions. The dictionary defines a dynasty as ``a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock or group'' - in sports, the ruler being a player or coach, the group being the team. By that strict measure, some argue that there are very few sports dynasties in history.

The Celtics, with a legacy that spanned three decades, from Russell to Larry Bird, would qualify. The Yankees, with a legacy that spans the century, from Ruth to Lou Gehrig to Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle to Derek Jeter, certainly would.

But to the purist, the Bulls of the 1990s and the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s probably would not qualify - their eras were short, and defined by just one ruler, Michael Jordan or Joe Montana, respectively. No legacy to speak of.

It's a legitimate quibble, if a bit esoteric and nit-picky. Today, if a team dominates an era, that's usually enough for dynasty status, and that seems to be fine with most people. Korr gives the nod to the Bulls.

``You're dealing with a decade,'' he says. ``Everybody knows what's the given in that decade - it's Michael Jordan.''

It's not always that simple. From the mid-'70s to the late 1980s, the Lakers won five championships. So did the Celtics. So which one was the dynasty of that era?

When does the dynasty begin, anyway?

``Personally, I think it stems in the fourth (championship),'' says Fox, who began his career with the Celtics in their post-dynasty era. ``I think if you win three out of 10 years, someone else could have won seven, you know? ...

``You hope that going forward here, in the next eight years, the Lakers will be able to say, if we win another three or four or whatever in the next six years, that solidifies the first decade of the 2000s.''

Dominate an era, and the dynasty tag follows. Of course, loosen the definition too far and things get really messy.

The Atlanta Braves won five National League pennants from 1991 to 1999 but won just a single World Series, in 1995. The Buffalo Bills won the AFC title four consecutive years, but lost four consecutive Super Bowls, from 1990-93.

In the mid-'90s, the Braves and Bills were considered budding dynasties. Now only a stubborn Atlanta or Buffalo fan would call them one, despite their prolonged success.

Today's young Lakers seem mindful of recent history, mindful of a Detroit Pistons team that won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990 and haven't been heard from since. Horry was a member of the Houston Rockets team that won championships in 1994 and 1995 - years that will forever be remembered for Michael Jordan's temporary absence from the NBA. The Bulls took over again in 1996.

O'Neal doesn't pretend to be much of a history student, but he listens to the legends when they speak. And the lecture Jerry West gave O'Neal in 1998 made a lasting impression. The Lakers had just been swept by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals. Shaq retreated to the inner confines of the Great Western Forum and promptly redecorated the Lakers' bathroom.

``I ripped out the urinal, broke a mirror,'' O'Neal recalls, ``and (West) came in and kind of cursed me. `What the (expletive) are you doing?' I said, `I'm pissed off.' He said, `Listen, I made it to the Finals (seven) times before I won my first one.' ''

By the end of his career, West had nine Finals appearances on his resume, but only one championship.

``I never knew that,'' O'Neal said. ``I was like, `Damn, you went to the Finals (eight) times and lost?' So I knew that his pain was a million times worse than my pain was.''

O'Neal suddenly appreciated the value of patience. But West's lecture also reinforced another universal truth in sports: There are no sure things, even for a team as talent-laden as West's was, or as Shaq's is. And the window of opportunity can be small.

Injuries derail dynasties. Free agency and the salary cap rob teams of their depth. Age, infighting, bad luck.

The Lakers in 1989 swept through the first three rounds of the playoffs and seemed destined for a third consecutive championship. But in the Finals, Magic Johnson and Byron Scott went down with hamstring injuries, and the Pistons rolled, 4-0.

And new powers always emerge to topple the incumbents - Jordan's Bulls supplanted the Pistons, and later replaced the Rockets.

The three-peat is in fact a rare and difficult achievement. Jackson's Bulls did it twice in the '90s, but before that, no NBA team had won three in a row in 30 years - since Red Auerbach's Celtics won eight consecutive (1959-66). The Minneapolis Lakers registered the first and only other string of at least three in a row - from 1952-54.

After one championship, complacency can set in. After two, stamina becomes the issue. Just getting to the Finals means playing another two months - two months that the rest of the league is resting, healing. Jackson watched the extra games take a toll on Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

The Bulls won 61 and 67 games on the way to their first two championships, but just 57 in the third season. They won 72 and 69 games in the fourth and fifth championship years, but dropped to 62 in the year of the sixth.

``The three-peat in my experience has always been a down year,'' Jackson says.

Looking back, Jackson says he recognized the beginnings of the Bulls' dynasty at an early stage, as a young Jordan, Pippen and Horace Grant were on their way to their second championship.

But the Lakers? He doesn't sense it yet.

``They have the talent, but we haven't really shown that fluidity that we're really into all the offensive operations,'' Jackson says. ``A lot of our stuff relies upon our genius of Shaq and Kobe. (The Bulls), even though we had Michael, it was the other players that came into the forefront - Pippen elevated his game into superstar play, he still was yet to be recognized as a great player, Grant became a front-line kind of power forward, so all those players kind of came together in the same coordinated effort that season.''

Yet, Jackson adds, ``I think most of these guys have an idea about this decade being a decade that we could really push this thing to its limits.''

Simply winning consecutive titles could help the Lakers sustain the dynasty. Coveted free-agent talents like Mitch Richmond and Samaki Walker spurned more lucrative contracts from other teams this summer just to get the shot at a title here.

In every corner of the locker room, there's an awareness that anything less than a championship now qualifies as a disappointment. But also, that 20 years from now, being part of a dynasty will mean more than just being part of another championship team.

Players such as Fox and Fisher won't make the All-Star teams or the Hall of Fame, but they can make history by winning a few more titles. The cruel truth is that in 20 years people might not remember much about Gary Payton or Dominique Wilkins, but they'll remember when Tyronn Lue locked up Allen Iverson in the 2001 Finals.

O'Neal's legacy is already ensured, but he wants more.

``I'm looking to have my name involved in all that jibber-jabber - `Shaq was one of the greatest players, he played on a great team, he won two, three, four (championships).' I'm very hard on myself,'' he says. ``So for me, if I don't get four or five, I won't be satisfied with my career as a whole. ... As long as I see my jersey in the rafters. That's what I'm working on, solidifying my name in history.''

The player who hasn't won a championship just wants one. The player with two, wants a third. But the player blessed with the clear opportunity to claim an entire era? Anything less than a dynasty is a letdown.

``I think if everybody had a chance to be part of something that special, I think everybody would love to do that,'' says Bryant.

Are the Lakers on the precipice of that opportunity? The budding dynasty they appear to be?

``I don't know,'' says Bryant, as he plucks a ball off the rack to go back to work. ``We'll see.''

SPORTS DYNASTIES

The top 10 dynasties in professional sports.

1. Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69) NBA - In 13 seasons, the Celtics won 11 NBA championships. Key players: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek.

2. New York Yankees (1947-64) MLB - In 18 seasons, the Yanks won 15 pennants and 11 World Series. Key players: Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford.

3. Montreal Canadiens (1952-53 to 1978-79) NHL - The Canadiens have the longest dynasty, 27 seasons in which they won 16 championships. Key players: Maurice Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, Jacque Plante, Doug Harvey, Henri Richard, Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Guy Lafleur.

4. New York Yankees (1936 to 1943) MLB - The Yanks' second-most consistent run gave them six titles in eight seasons. Key players: DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Red Ruffing.

5. Green Bay Packers (1961-67) NFL - The top dynasty in football won three NFL championships and the first two Super Bowl titles in seven seasons. Key players: Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Ray Nitschke.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs (1941-42 to 1950-51) NHL - Six championships in 10 seasons give the Leafs an edge over the five-time-champion Edmonton Oilers of the late '80s and Canadiens of '20s and '30s. Key players: Turk Broda, Ted Kennedy, Max Bentley.

7. New York Yankees (1923-32) MLB - Owner Jacob Ruppert laid the foundation for Yankees success by purchasing Babe Ruth and several other instrumental players. Key players: Babe Ruth, Gehrig.

8. Chicago Bulls (1990-91 to 1997-98) NBA - The Bulls won titles in six of eight seasons and it might've been eight had Michael Jordan not given baseball a try. Key players: Jordan, Scottie Pippen.

9. New York Yankees (1996-) MLB - The Yanks' latest dynasty has won four titles in five seasons and could make it five in six within a few weeks. Key players: Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Chuck Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera.

10. Cleveland Browns (1946-57) - The Browns won all four titles in the old AAFC and then maintained their dominance in the NFL, winning three more championships in seven years. Key players: Otto Graham, Marion Motley.

11.-20 11. Pittsburgh (1974-79) NFL; 12. Edmonton (1983-84 to 1989-90) NHL; 13. S.F (1981-94) NFL; 14. L.A. Lakers (1979-80 to 1987-88); 15. N.Y. Islanders (1979-80 to 1982-83) NHL; 16. Minneapolis Lakers (1948-49 to 1953-54) NBA; 17. Chicago Bears (1940-46); 18. Montreal Canadiens (1923-24 to 1934-35) NHL; 19. Boston Celtics (1980-81 to 1985-86) 20. Ottawa (1919-20 to 1926-27) NHL.

CAPTION(S):

drawing, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) DYNASTY?

Lakers' goal now is not accomplishing greatness but extending it.

(2) Shaquille O'Neal holding his first NBA Championship trophy is an image that might go down in history as the beginning of a Lakers dynasty.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box: SPORTS DYNASTIES (see text)