LAKERS READY FOR A RUMBLE PHYSICAL PLAY, MORE LOW SCORING LOOK PROBABLE.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - They rubbed the sore spots and stretched out the kinks, contemplated a playoff debut that was by turns messy and painful, and after a few hours of healing and analysis, the Lakers shrugged. This just might be the game they're stuck with for the next week or two.

The scores might be low, the basketball less than fluid and certainly not attractive to the purist. But if this is what the Houston Rockets have wrought, if this is what Jeff Van Gundy is promoting and what the referees are allowing, well, the Lakers will welcome a few more nights of bumping and clutching across the floor.

``If that's the case,'' Karl Malone said with a slight grin, ``I like it. I would like that.''

The play was brutal at times Saturday night, when the Lakers clawed their way to a 72-71 Game 1 victory that set a franchise playoff-record low for scoring. The NBA's decision to keep the game out of the all-important Sunday rotation looked smart in retrospect.

``Miserable,'' Shaquille O'Neal said Sunday, after the Lakers reviewed game film and saw themselves again shoot .329 from the field.

More of the same is generally expected in Game 2 tonight at Staples Center, though the Lakers are hoping for a little improvement in their offense regardless of what Houston does.

The Lakers just missed tying another franchise playoff low with a nine- point third quarter, when they went 4 for 21 from the field.

Given that the Lakers ranked in the top four in scoring and field-goal percentage this season, they expect better than that.

But the Rockets are born-again defensive devotees under Van Gundy, who, some will recall, won ugly quite often during seven years as the New York Knicks' coach.

Yao Ming and Kelvin Cato give the Rockets a steady and imposing presence in the paint, and the addition of Jim Jackson last summer helped put more muscle on the perimeter. Houston finished the season ranked No. 2 in opponents' shooting percentage (.412) and No. 5 in opponents' scoring (88 points per game).

Of course, the Lakers fell far shy of both of those figures, and there was more than just great defense to blame. Malone was admittedly hesitant on a cranky right ankle and went 3 for 14 from the field. Rick Fox, playing with a dislocated thumb, went 0 for 3 and Gary Payton 4 for 10 in a game in which he strained his lower back.

With Derek Fisher (groin), Devean George (calf) and Kareem Rush (foot) all recovering from recent ailments, the Lakers figured to struggle some. Kobe Bryant, possibly the healthiest among them now, also shot the worst - 4 for 19.

Houston kept at least two bodies near O'Neal at all times, giving Malone plenty of room to shoot, which for one night worked.

``Let them keep doing it,'' Malone said. ``I hope that's their game plan.''

All of the Lakers' walking wounded reported some progress Sunday, and coach Phil Jackson did not put them through a practice.

The work was kept to the film room, where the Lakers discussed game plans that got ignored and offensive sequences that fell apart out of neglect.

Malone later spent 10 minutes on the court with triangle guru Tex Winter.

``A lot of the mistakes that we made last night were because we didn't execute the things that we talked about doing before this series started,'' Fisher said.

Unforeseen by everyone was that the officiating might be more permissive than usual. The Game 1 crew headed by Steve Javie called 42 fouls, but coach Phil Jackson cited a number of missed calls after watching the film Sunday.

``In watching it in retrospect, 12 hours later, it's hard to imagine what the mindset is of the referees,'' Jackson said. ``The league just sent out an instruction video of what's going to be called in the playoffs, as far as fouls and violations and traveling. And you can take that tape and send both of them right back to the league and ask, 'Can you redefine this, please?'

``And actually that crew was pretty good, but it just turned into a mud-wrestling contest, and I don't think that's what the teams really want. Maybe Houston wants to play that kind of game, but it was just so physical that I don't see how the referees could sort anything out in that ballgame.''

O'Neal spent a lot of time falling down and got fatigued over a 45- minute run that Jackson said was perhaps too long. Malone frequently was tumbling as well.

Yao, not one to complain much, stared incredulously once after getting thumped by O'Neal. No whistle blew.

``I got bumped, he got bumped,'' O'Neal said, calling it ``a well-officiated game.''

Had Malone or Bryant just made a few of their open shots, had O'Neal made more than 4 of 14 free throws, the Lakers might not have left the outcome to the final seconds.

The grappling and slug-it-out pace, however, suits them fine.

``We think we can play that style of game,'' said Jackson, whose old Chicago Bulls teams got the same treatment against Van Gundy's Knicks, ``but I'm not so sure it's pleasant, a good way to look at the game of basketball. I don't think it's benefiting to the NBA to have it that style.''

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Shaquille O'Neal, guarding the Rockets' Steve Francis, is prepared for the pushing and shoving that is expected the rest of the series.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

Box:

LAKERS vs. ROCKETS: Lakers lead best-of-seven series 1-0