NO POSTSEASON, JUST POSTMORTEM LOSS TO SUNS MAKES ELIMINATION OFFICIAL FOR LAKERS PHOENIX 125, LAKERS 99.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

PHOENIX - Some were convinced of it from the day Shaquille O'Neal was traded last July. Others saw it coming as soon as Rudy Tomjanovich stunningly resigned as coach at midseason. The rest came around during last month's eight-game losing streak.

The Lakers were going to miss the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and only the fourth time since the franchise of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

What was a foregone conclusion for weeks became official Tuesday night at America West Arena. A 125-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns, combined with Denver's 94-91 win over Memphis, laid to rest the most disappointing Lakers season in recent memory.

The Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention with eight games still remaining on the schedule. The only consolation? At least they won't have to face the Suns in the first round.

Their second-guessing will start in earnest this morning, the questions beginning with how the Lakers could send O'Neal to Miami and end up as only the seventh team in NBA history to play in the NBA Finals one season and miss the playoffs the next.

To make matters worse, the Lakers face the possibility of not even ending the season as the best team in Los Angeles. The Clippers are a half-game ahead of the Lakers in the standings after beating the expansion Charlotte Bobcats 104-102 Tuesday.

If not for the purple jerseys, the Lakers (33-41) would have been all but unrecognizable Tuesday. Kobe Bryant sat out the game with a shin injury, Lamar Odom is on the injured list with a strained shoulder and Chris Mihm joined him with a sprained ankle.

That left the Lakers down three starters and forced to play with Brian Grant, Luke Walton and Devean George against the Suns, who boast the NBA's best record at 57-17.

Caron Butler did his best to spark the Lakers, finishing with 30 points, but Phoenix was simply overwhelming. The Suns connected on 9 of 11 3- pointers in the second quarter and had 70 points by halftime, most by a Lakers' opponent all season.

That started the countdown to the draft lottery. The end had been forecast for weeks, with the only hope left Tuesday coming from the possibility that Denver would lose its remaining games and the Lakers would win all of theirs.

Before the game, interim coach Frank Hamblen spoke about staying positive in trying times.

``We talked about it today,'' Hamblen said. ``We're winding the season down. Let's wind it up playing hard and just see what we can do.''

The last time the Lakers missed the playoffs was 1994, when they finished 33-49 and lost their final 10 games of the season with Magic as their coach. These Lakers, meanwhile, are in the midst of a similarly spectacular collapse.

They opened March with a one-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot. Now they have lost 12 of 13 games for the first time in franchise history, winning only once in the last 24 days. The current losing streak stands at four games.

On the court, Tuesday's loss was memorable only because the Suns hit 17 3-pointers, a dubious franchise-record for the Lakers. Quentin Richardson, who won the long-distance shootout at All-Star weekend, connected on seven 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for Phoenix.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Kobe Bryant could only watch as the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention.

Paul Connors/Associated Press

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