RIM AND BEAR IT HORRY MISSES THIS TIME; L.A. ON BRINK SAN ANTONIO 96, LAKERS 94.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO - After everything they have survived - torn tendons, clogged arteries, and all the pain and tension that has come with it - the Lakers gladly turned to an old, sure thing Tuesday night. Turned to the oldest, surest thing in their championship arsenal.

With a series on the line, coach Phil Jackson's heart being tested and a two-point deficit with time running out, they handed the ball to Robert Horry, standing 25 feet from the basket.

For the first time since, well, ever, it was not the winning formula.

Horry launched with 3.6 seconds left, the ball rattled in and out, and into David Robinson's waiting hands.

``You expect the odds are going to be with him,'' Jackson said.

For once, they were not, and the Lakers fell 96-94 to the San Antonio Spurs at SBC Center and now face elimination for the first time this season. San Antonio has a 3-2 lead in the conference semifinals, with Game 6 at Staples Center on Thursday. If the Lakers are to win the series, it will have to come in Game 7 here Saturday.

The Lakers are 4-0 when facing elimination under Jackson.

``Win. Win at all costs,'' Kobe Bryant said of Thursday's game.

Tim Duncan scored 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Spurs. Tony Parker added 21 points.

Bryant led the Lakers with 36 points and led a fantastic charge in the fourth quarter, when they fought back from a 25-point deficit.

On the final play, Bryant was trapped in the corner and found Horry outside the arc. The shot bounced around and popped out.

``It looked good from where I was standing,'' Bryant said. ``... If he has another opportunity in the next game, I'll give it to him again.''

Shaquille O'Neal had his least effective game of the series, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Though O'Neal did not cite any physical problems, Bryant said O'Neal was having trouble with his left knee.

Jackson returned to the Lakers' bench, two days after missing Game 4, and just three days after undergoing an angioplasty to clear a clogged artery.

His health was not in question, but the Lakers' fate was, and Jackson didn't hesitate to classify the game as ``pivotal'' to the series.

``Game 5s have been the games that usually open up the situation for a team to win,'' he said. ``Most likely, the team that wins Game 5 is going to win the series.''

The Lakers had whittled a 25-point deficit down to one point by the final minute, getting a 3-pointer from Bryant and a three-point play from O'Neal.

The Lakers closed the third quarter with an 11-2 run and headed into the fourth quarter down 80-64. Bryant hit consecutive 3-pointers, the second at the buzzer, from just in front of the Spurs' bench.

Bryant's offensive aggression worked against him early in the fourth. He took six of the Lakers' first eight shots but made only one of them.

O'Neal rode the bench, but the Lakers kept charging. Brian Shaw hit a 3-pointer, Slava Medvedenko hit a free throw and a jumper. Jannero Pargo picked Stephen Jackson and Bryant converted it for a fast-break 3-pointer.

With 5:48 to play, the Lakers had knocked the deficit down to 10 points, 87-77.

Jackson said O'Neal did not have his usual energy.

``We couldn't have gotten back in the game if Shaquille was on the floor,'' he said.

Said O'Neal: ``I did all right, but I can do a lot better.''

Down 78-53 in the third, the Lakers put together a 33-12 run over the next 11 minutes. With 3:24 to go, they trailed 90-86.

Dr. John Moe, the team's internist, sat directly across from Phil Jackson and next to Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss, Jackson's girlfriend. Both kept a wary eye on Jackson, who of course said he felt fine.

``I've been watching myself pretty closely over the last month. I'll stay cool and calm,'' Jackson said before tipoff. ``But we anticipate that it will be a heated game, and there will be a lot of energy out there tonight. I'll have to watch myself.''

Jackson has some residual swelling from an allergic reaction to antibiotics but otherwise has recovered from Saturday's procedure. He was, however, prepared to leave the bench if he didn't feel right.

``No doubt about it,'' he said. ``That's one of the things I told the doctors on Friday night actually, that if I didn't feel well at any point in the game, I'd remove myself from the game.''

As it turned out, the 57-year-old coach had a lot more energy than his players. And had he checked out of the game, it would have been understandable, considering what he had to watch.

Medically, Jackson said he had a ``faith and trust'' that his body was prepared to withstand the stress of a playoff game.

``One of the great things about going through the (angioplasty) process is that you're seeing what's going on'' via a video monitor, he said. ``You're visually aware, and that part of it is very informative and assuring, actually. At least it was for me.''

Of course, there was a simple solution to any concerns about the effects of a grueling series on Jackson's heart: win the next two games.

``That would help,'' Jackson said with a grin.

By halftime, the Lakers' medical concerns were more fundamental. Derek Fisher had dislocated his right pinkie and sprained his left ankle. Bryant had tweaked his left ankle.

And the Lakers' halftime deficit, 18 points, was their largest of the postseason.

CAPTION(S):

14 photos, 6 boxes, chart

Photo:

(1) SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

(2) KOBE BRYANT

(3) DEREK FISHER

(4) ROBERT HORRY

(5) DEVEAN GEORGE(6) SLAVA MEDVEDENKO

(7) TIM DUNCAN

(8) DAVID ROBINSON

(9) TONY PARKER

(10) STEPHEN JACKSON

(11) BRUCE BOWEN

(12) EMANUEL GINOBILI

(13 -- color) Robert Horry reacts Tuesday after missing what would have been a game-winning shot.

(14) San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, left, pulls down a second-quarter rebound with Kobe Bryant lurking behind.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box:

(1) STORY LINES

(2) LAKERS REPORT CARD

(3) SAN ANTONIO REPORT CARD

(4) A CLOSER LOOK

(5) QUARTER-BY-QUARTER

(6) LAKERS vs. SAN ANTONIO: San Antonio leads series 3-2

Chart:

NUMBERS GAME