LAKERS NOTEBOOK: KINGS WILL TEST L.A.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO - Given their preference - albeit a quietly stated preference - the Lakers would have taken a first-round playoff series against the Seattle SuperSonics, a team they felt they could sweep. Instead, they drew the always-pesky Sacramento Kings, who never let them rest.

And maybe that's not such a bad way to start the postseason.

``The idea that this team has played well against us, we'll have to play better to beat them,'' coach Phil Jackson said. ``And that's always a positive thing. You want to play your best basketball at this time of year.''

They'll have to against the Kings, who although inconsistent are deep and talented. The Lakers lost by 12 points to the Kings in December, then won the last three meetings by an average of 3.7 points. Sacramento could easily have won any of them, and Jackson called the Kings ``a team that's going to demand our best.''

``I think that they're going to be a team that's going to be hard to control,'' Jackson said. ``They're a team of spurts, and they break games open, or they run away from teams early in ballgames, and we're just going to have to be prepared to play a 48-minute game and not rest on one quarter or what happens in a half. And just play the ballgame, as we have found out. And we've been able to come back from deficits and beat this team. . . .

``You're going to be tested at some level, and sometimes it's good to be tested in the first round. They tested Utah (taking them to five games) last year, gave them a little test in their series and obviously grew into the respect that they deserved during that playoff series.''

--Kiss his asterisk: Given the opportunity, Jackson did not waver from his prior contention that San Antonio's championship last season deserved an asterisk because of the NBA lockout.

The comment, made two weeks ago, didn't go over well with the Spurs.

``I know it caused some flare here in town,'' Jackson said, ``but you know, this is what it is. You don't have to hammer it home. Everybody knows what kind of year it was here in the NBA last year, a 50-game season. Roger Maris had an asterisked season (when he hit 61 home runs), he played (162) games instead of 154. Asterisk seasons are seasons that aren't the same. That's all. There is a difference.''

--Ouch report: After giving him a one-week rest, the Lakers are expected to activate Derek Fisher from the injured list today and place him on the postseason roster. But Jackson wouldn't say it's a certainty.

``There is nothing given yet,'' he said. ``We're still looking to see how he does.''

LAKERS vs. SACRAMENTO: A CLOSER LOOK

Analysis by Howard Beck

Centers: Shaquille O'Neal had his way this season against the Kings' Vlade Divac, averaging 35.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in four meetings. But Divac is the type of center who poses problems for O'Neal. The ex- Laker can shoot from the outside, drawing O'Neal out of the paint, runs the pick-and-roll well and can also bang a little inside. Divac averaged 9.8 points and 8.0 rebounds against the Lakers this season.

Edge: Lakers.

Forwards: The Lakers' tag-team tandem of A.C. Green and Robert Horry won't strike fear in anyone's defense, but they've provided solid defense against the league's elite power forwards. The Kings' Chris Webber is an exception - he averaged 27.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers this season, and containing him will be their greatest challenge. At small forward, the Kings will throw the physical (but low-scoring) Corliss Williamson against Glen Rice, who averaged just 15.0 points on 37 percent shooting (20 for 54) against Sacramento this season.

Edge: Kings.

Guards: No shortage of excitement here, where the Lakers' explosive Kobe Bryant goes toe to toe with unpredictable Kings showman Jason Williams. Let the turnovers begin. Bryant had some of his best games against the Kings, averaging 30.5 points and 8.8 rebounds while guarded mostly by Nick Anderson. At the other end, Bryant will try to shut down Williams, who scored just four points in the most recent meeting after averaging 18.0 points in the first three. Ron Harper will also spend some time on Williams and will be counted on to keep the Lakers calm in the face of the Kings' frenzied pace.

Edge: Lakers.

Bench: The Kings' vaunted Bench Mob is younger, burlier and more athletic; the Lakers' unsung group is decidedly veteran and cerebral. Both units have made an impact this season, but the Kings have more muscle - Scot Pollard (5.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Lawrence Funderburke, Bill Wennington - and more firepower, in Peja Stojakovic (11.8 ppg) and Jon Barry (7.9 ppg). For the Lakers, forwards Horry (5.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Rick Fox (6.4 ppg) provide defensive stability and outside shooting threats. Guards Derek Fisher and Brian Shaw also will be counted on more for defense than scoring.

Edge: Kings.

Coach: In his first season at the helm, Phil Jackson has already guided the Lakers to their best record in 28 years and has rightly earned much of the credit for turning around a once-underachieving team. He also has a postseason track record that is unmatched in NBA history. In nine seasons with the Chicago Bulls, he won six championships and compiled a playoff record of 111-41 (.730), tops among coaches. Sacramento's Rick Adelman has worked his own share of magic with the Kings, taking a completely rebuilt team to the playoffs last year, his first as Sacramento coach. He coached Portland to Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992, losing to Jackson's Bulls in the latter.

Edge: Lakers.

Overall: With the NBA's best record and its most dominant player, the Lakers enter the postseason as the clear favorites to win the championship. But they could have a rough road to the Finals - with possible matchups against San Antonio and Portland after Sacramento. The Kings dragged the Utah Jazz to five games in the first round last year and nearly knocked them off. Although the Lakers won the season series against the Kings 3-1, Sacramento pushed them to the limit in every game. Expect more of the same in this series - plenty of scares and close calls for the Lakers, who in the end will win because of their consistency and newfound maturity.

Prediction: Lakers 3-1.

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LAKERS vs. SACRAMENTO: A CLOSER LOOK (see text)