DOMINANT GAME RECALLS '01 BLITZ JACKSON LIKES OLD TRAITS LAKERS SHOW.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - The good feelings of a rout that buffed up the Lakers' dingy aura and pushed them within one victory of a first-round triumph were still lingering Wednesday, and suddenly Phil Jackson had San Antonio on his mind.

By late tonight, the Lakers' coaching staff might well be drafting strategy for a perhaps-inevitable reunion with the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. But it wasn't the near future that had Jackson's synapses firing; it was the not-so-distant past.

Two years ago, the Lakers strung together the most stunning championship run in NBA history, a 15-1 dash that included an unlikely sweep of the Spurs in the conference finals.

As the Lakers' 120-90 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves unfolded Tuesday night, Jackson caught a whiff of 2001: Shaquille O'Neal dominating the middle, Kobe Bryant dazzling from the perimeter and Derek Fisher making the 3-point arc his home.

``It harkens back to two years ago in the playoffs, the kind of game we played (Tuesday) night,'' Jackson said. ``Primarily because of Fisher's 3-point shooting. Derek shoots the ball with that kind of accuracy at the 3-point line, it really spreads a team that's defending against us, makes it impossible to double and to trap Shaq and also to double-team Kobe actually. ... It makes our team very good.''

That devastating combination had been lacking from this postseason. So, too, had the Lakers' sense of playoff cohesion, and it could have been lost for good when a torn foot tendon ended Rick Fox's season this week.

Instead, the Lakers hold a 3-2 lead over Minnesota and can clinch the series tonight at Staples Center. Rather than limping out of the first round, they might swagger into the semifinals.

So Jackson's ruminations about 2001 were appropriate.

Two years ago, the Lakers were considered underdogs to the Spurs, who owned the best regular-season record and held home-court advantage. But they won two road games, then took command of the series with a 111-72 rout in Game 3. Along the way, Fisher blossomed into a 3-point ace and set a playoff record by going 15 for 20 from behind the arc.

Today, the Lakers are underdogs to nearly everyone. But they are showing familiar, old traits. On Tuesday, they seized control of this series with a 30-point rout that stood as their most lopsided playoff victory since the 39-point drubbing of the Spurs.

And Fisher is again the key to the offense. He made 5 of 7 from 3-point range in Game 5, is 19 for 30 in the series and is averaging 15.4 points.

But Jackson looks beyond the numbers and sees more significant traits re-emerging. He again referenced 2001 and the ``ingredients that come together'' in a great postseason.

``Some of it is the team harmony, the knowledge, the intuitive feelings that they have for one another,'' he said. ``The fact that they can dominate or exercise their will against opponents, that's what you have to create, and that's what we have to create at this time, is the ability to now force our will on other teams, to continue with this kind of ball playing.''

That ability is coming around again. Devean George ably replaced Fox in the lineup, and Brian Shaw - a playoff hero the last three years, but nearly forgotten - re-emerged as a key reserve. Jackson's rotation in a tight game might only go seven deep, but then that's often been the case the past few years.

So, too, has the Lakers' ability to survive the rough spots in a series, improve on the fly and somehow emerge stronger by the finish.

``It was just a matter of time,'' Shaw said of the Lakers' dominant showing.

The Timberwolves have exhausted themselves with full-court presses and traps, swarming double-teams of O'Neal and Bryant, and now are starting to wilt. Kevin Garnett's shooting efficiency is dipping. Troy Hudson has cooled off while trying to defend Fisher. Wally Szczerbiak has yet to show up.

``What I see is them making changes game to game, sometimes quarter to quarter,'' Bryant said. ``They don't have a game plan that's solid enough to carry (them) through a seven-game series. We stick to the same thing. We have a system. And that system allows us to remain consistent throughout a seven-game series. We don't have to change much. We put the pressure on other teams to make the adjustments, that's one of the great keys to our success. We don't have to budge.''

Had the NBA not adopted the best-of-seven first round - dubbed the ``Laker rule'' by cynics - the Lakers already would have advanced to the second round. Instead, they have made two 3,000-mile round trips in 12 days and need one more victory to avoid another.

``It's grueling, it's physically grueling,'' Jackson said. ``We're packing this (series) in, too, in a tighter time frame. ... Right now, these teams and our team, particularly, we're just in a recovery state. We're just going from game to game, gathering energy and trying to be as energetic as we can when we come out to play.''

LAKERS vs. MINNESOTA

Game 6

Time: 7:30 p.m., Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net, TNT; 570-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Defending Kobe Bryant, pictured, and Shaquille O'Neal have taken a toll on Minnesota's offense.

Daily News