LAKERS LOWER BOOM\Sonics held to smallest point output of season\LAKERS 94, SEATTLE 71.

Byline: Marc Stein Daily News Staff Writer

In the Forum's first Magical era, Lakers versus Sonics wasn't a rivalry.

It wasn't Tuesday, either. Not even close.

On this night, the best team in the Western Conference was Magic's team. Just like the old days.

Seattle wasn't much bother back then, and, coming off their most disheartening defeat of the season, the Lakers revisited that happy time with a 94-71 rout in front of 17,505 revived fans.

The response to Sunday night's one-point loss to Orlando, a setback that, in the view of Lakers coach Del Harris, devastated "the whole city," was holding the Sonics to their lowest point total of the season and second lowest in their history.

At the other end, Eddie Jones scored a dazzling 26 points and Magic Johnson, dispelling concerns about his tender right calf, totaled 14 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in 33 minutes.

"They're scary," Seattle's Shawn Kemp said.

And perhaps no longer fearful of the league's powerhouses after going 0-4 against Chicago, Houston and Orlando since Magic's unretirement.

"I wasn't worried about beating an elite team," said Johnson, who will now lead the Lakers (41-23) through a grueling stretch run that puts them on the road for 12 of the final 18 games. "I knew it would happen. You know, this is a good team."

It showed most in the final two quarters, after the Sonics (49-15) pulled within six points early in the third quarter.

By the start of the fourth, the lead was 19, and Johnson pumped it up to 23 before leaving with 4:04 to go with two no-look passes on one possession, the second leading to an Elden Campbell dunk.

That had Cedric Ceballos, in the midst of perhaps his worst-ever Lakers performance - two points on 1-of-7 shooting in just 12 minutes, because Jones and Johnson were playing too well to come out - leading the bench in we're-not-worthy bows.

Seconds later, Jones made it 89-64 by slamming home Nick Van Exel's alley-oop feed, pushing the Lakers' into the fourth spot in the conference standings by five percentage points ahead of Houston.

"We needed this one bad," Van Exel said. "You can say it now that you've beaten them, but if there was one team we wanted to beat, it was Seattle."

In light of the upcoming road tests, and in the wake of Sunday's heartbreaking loss to Orlando, the Lakers really did have to have this one. No one more so than the coach, who, to his surprise, has been besieged with "What's wrong?" queries since the one-point Magic defeat.

"Crazy questions" is what Harris called them. He couldn't believe that, after all the recent successes - 16 wins in 20 games, 20 in 25 and 24 in 30 - there could be a negative fan reaction to a last-second loss and two narrow defeats to Houston.

"We're obviously in a tough part of the schedule, but we're playing good teams and we're playing well," said Harris, adding that the Lakers are still adjusting to the presence of Johnson.

Harris maintains that, "not only trying to work (Magic) in (but) trying to get him in shape and work out the rough edges" can only "make things look good for the future and the playoffs."

Above all, the coach said, Lakers brass doesn't "want our players doubting themselves or doubting our system."

Which would really be something to worry about.

Notes: Another target for scrutiny has been Vlade Divac, who for the first time in a seven-year career has seen his numbers decline from the previous season. The dropoff becomes more noticeable set against Campbell's career year. Asked if Divac's production has dipped because the Lakers are calling more plays for Campbell, Harris said, "That's a soft way out." . . . Corie Blount, who poured in nine points in the final two minutes of last Friday's rout of Milwaukee, started the second half in place of Campbell, who had three fouls at intermission. Joining Blount and regulars Van Exel, Jones and Divac was Magic, in for a struggling Ceballos. . . Joey Crawford, the veteran referee curmudgeon who worked Tuesday's game, on Magic's return: "It means just one more arena that's going to be difficult to get out of afterward."

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Photo (1--color) Lakers guard Nick Van Exel goes up for a rebound against Seattle at the Forum. (2) Magic Johnson hoists a hook shot over the SuperSonics at the Forum Tuesday night. David Sprague / Daily News Chart WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE