HOME SWEET HOME; LAKERS HOPING FORUM PUTS AILING GAME BACK ON COURSE.

Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer

How did the Lakers lose a winnable game Wednesday? They would count the ways, but it might take a couple of hours. And besides, they're probably worn out from kicking themselves for 2,000 miles on the plane ride back home.

Coach Kurt Rambis gave his team the day off Thursday - all the better to clear their heads of various mental debris left from their Game 2 implosion to the San Antonio Spurs.

``It helps mentally to get away from it for a few hours, regroup,'' Rick Fox said. ``Not so much to dwell on the past, but look at it for what it is, accept it and move forward.''

So the Lakers will try not to dwell on the dropped balls and missed shots that led to their 79-76 loss, try to accept the 0-2 deficit in the series and move forward with the comfort of two games on the home court Saturday and Sunday.

``There's obviously a grieving period of about two hours. The plane ride home isn't as enjoyable,'' Fox said. ``But at the same time, it's a seven-game series . . . As in tennis, (the Spurs) held serve. We come now to our home fans and home cooking and an opportunity to do what we do best here at home. . . and go away 2-2.''

To do that, they'll have to fix a few glaring errors that won't soon fade from memory.

The failure to follow the game plan and double-team Tim Duncan before he made his game-winning basket.

The failure to foul Duncan (or anyone else) on the play when the Lakers had a foul to give.

The botched inbounds play that went to the wrong player (Derek Fisher), then bounced off his face.

The list could go on, and the replays will be dissected for at least 48 hours, until Game 3 on Saturday.

Rambis wasted no time owning up to the mistakes. The Spurs' winning basket came on an inbounds play that started with 18.1 seconds left; the Lakers should have let the clock wind down as far as possible, then fouled.

``I guess I didn't do a real good job in telling them (to foul),'' Rambis said. ``I told them that we have a foul to give. I did not specifically say, `If a player gets you in a bad way, go ahead and foul him or try and take as much time off the clock as possible and then foul.' No, I did not get that specific, but I did say we had a foul to give.''

Of course, that's all basic basketball strategy, the kind of things that are practiced and drilled every day in practice, and one might expect players to know what to do.

``That was an assumption on my behalf,'' Rambis said, ``but I was obviously incorrect in that assumption.''

The responsibility on Duncan's basket fell on two players: Glen Rice, who was slow to double-team Duncan, and J.R. Reid, who was guarding Duncan and failed to get a hand on him before he launched the 9-foot turnaround jumper.

``We were supposed to come down and double-team him right away,'' Rambis said. ``Once he started getting in that low, deep post position, that was the time to foul him.''

The ensuing inbounds play, which started with 8.1 seconds left, did the final damage. Kobe Bryant's pass was supposed to go to Shaquille O'Neal or Fox, who would then dish it back to him for a drive to the hoop or pull-up jumper. ``But Shaq set a pick away for Fish (Derek Fisher) instead of coming back to the ball,'' Rambis said.

So the Lakers will mull all of that, go through a light practice today, then hope their fortunes changes on the home court. They've been in this position before, of course, down 0-2 to Utah in the conference finals last year. That ended in a sweep.

Fox said the Lakers learned from that series - ``not to make a mountain out of a mole hill. . . In no way can we look at an 0-2 deficit as the end of the series. The Spurs from their standpoint, they've only done what they're supposed to do. Now this is where it changes.''

And the back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday could work in the Lakers' favor.

``I like it, because if we win - when we win - Saturday, we'll be able to carry that right over into Sunday,'' Fox said, ``and the confidence will be high, the adrenaline will still be flowing. Nothing like a sweet roll to get going to go back to San Antonio.''

SERIES RECAP

Conference semifinals

Spurs lead series 2-0

Gm 1: Spurs 87, Lakers 81

Gm 2: Spurs 79, Lakers 76

Gm 3: Sat. at Lakers, 2:30 (Ch. 4)

Gm 4: Sun. at Lakers, 2:30 (Ch. 4)

Gm 5: Tue. at Spurs, TBA x

Gm 6: May 27 at Lakers, TBA x

Gm 7: May 29 at Spurs, TBA x

x - if necessary

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Color) David Robinson has been one of the major thorns in Shaquille O'Neal's side.

(2) Shaquille O'Neal, held to just 16 points Wednesday, has felt the brunt of the Spurs' defense.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box: SERIES RECAP (See text)