INJURED MALONE WON'T DRESS TO IMPRESS IF HE SUITS UP TONIGHT, HE'LL PLAY.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The euphoria of the latest miracle victory had subsided Wednesday, the optimism of one season-saving shot eclipsed by the distress over an injured Hall-of-Fame knee.

Karl Malone smiled, walked without much of a limp and spoke hopefully of playing in Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Officially, the Lakers list him as day-to-day, but the outlook is much murkier than that.

Coach Phil Jackson expects Malone to be in the starting lineup. Malone himself guaranteed nothing, saying, ``If I suit up, I'm going to play,'' but declining to say whether he would indeed suit up.

``It's out of my power,'' he said. ``The man above.''

Malone sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the opening minutes of the Lakers' 99-91 overtime victory Tuesday night over the Detroit Pistons. The injury is similar, though believed to be less severe, than the one he suffered last December, costing him 10 weeks.

The team has not scheduled any additional tests or doctor visits for Malone, who noted, ``It's irrelevant.''

``I do understand the situation, but it doesn't matter at this point in time,'' he said. ``What is that (examination) going to tell me, OK? And I know me pretty well, and I know my body. So if I suit up, I expect to play and have no excuses.''

Already this season, Malone has endured the longest injury absence of his 19-year career. The window of opportunity shrinks every day for the 40-year-old who's still chasing his first championship. Healthy or not, he could retire this summer. The Lakers could be broken up in any case.

After all he has experienced since last summer, from the time his mother died and through the weeks spent on the injured list, Malone sounded unwilling to let go of his quest, no matter the consequences.

``When I consider what's at stake here, if this truly is the last (season), what the hell am I saving myself for?'' he said. ``As long as I can play with my kids and do the things I want to do when this is all over with, it is totally worth it to me.

``It's just three more wins, so ...''

The medical staff and Jackson would like Malone to wear a brace, though he has been opposed to doing so all season and apparently remains reticent.

``I ain't never seen a samurai with a brace on,'' he said.

The Finals are tied at one game apiece, with the next three to be played in Auburn Hills, and the Lakers have never needed Malone more. Outside of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, whose 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left forced overtime in Game 2, the Lakers have had no reliable contributors.

And beyond Malone, the Lakers' big man ranks are woeful. Slava Medvedenko, inconsistent as ever, is not the defender or rebounder Malone is. And after that, the Lakers are down to seldom-used rookie Brian Cook, who committed a turnover in the only minute he played Tuesday.

Horace Grant is on the inactive list because of a hip injury. If matters become desperate, Jackson will turn to Rick Fox, Luke Walton and Bryon Russell to fill the minutes at power forward, where the Pistons feature the offensively-gifted Rasheed Wallace.

It's a matchup Detroit is expected to exploit, whether challenging Malone's health or his backups' youth.

``That's what we have to expect,'' Jackson said, ``and he (Malone) has to expect it, too, and has to make that judgment call as to whether he can stand up to that or not.''

Beyond Malone, the Lakers are still trying to find the defensive will to contain Chauncey Billups, who is averaging 24.5 points in two games. That burden is falling mostly to Gary Payton, who has battled foul trouble and Jackson's rotation.

Payton would appreciate more minutes, of course, and more help on pick-and-roll plays to keep Billups in check. In other words, he would like the Lakers to dedicate themselves in the same way as they did to stop San Antonio's Tony Parker in the Western Conference semifinals. Beyond that, Payton is keeping his emotions in check.

``Whatever I need to do to help the team, that's what I'm going to do,'' Payton said. ``So I'm not worried about (my role) anymore, man. There's five games left in this year, and if we can win three of them, we'll be champions.''

The Lakers' playoff run has been kept alive through both determination and chance, pushed along by Derek Fisher's 0.4 shot in Game 5 at San Antonio and now Bryant's 2.1 shot that averted a 2-0 deficit in this series. Magical moments can change momentum and define a championship, but against the rugged Pistons, it might not be enough.

Before it's over, the Lakers might need a faith healing.

``I'm just concerned more so from an emotional standpoint,'' Fisher said of Malone. ``I can't imagine being him right now and being in that situation, where you worked your entire life and your entire career to be in this position and be so close to having an opportunity to accomplish this great team goal and to possibly have to deal with an injury that either limits you in major way or possibly takes you out of the lineup. I feel for him.''

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Karl Malone: ``I know me pretty well ... So if I suit up, I expect to play and have no excuses''