RIVALRY WITHIN A RIVALRY.

Byline: KAREN CROUSE

The people in the Balkans have gotten along better than the basketball-playing Barry brothers. Their childhood was one bloody turf war.

``All of us were so competitive,'' said Jon Barry, the second of four boys born to NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry and his first wife. ``At times it was overbearing.''

By signing with the Lakers in late August, Jon Barry was impinging on the territory of younger brother Brent, a guard for the Clippers, begging the question: Is L.A., however sprawling, big enough for the both of them?

As it turns out, both Barrys can fit quite comfortably in Brent's Hermosa Beach townhouse, their relationship having evolved over time from one of conflict to congeniality.

Brent is the more talented player but Jon is on the more talented team. In earlier days the brothers might have coveted each other's life.

But not now.

``For 12 years we've been hearing the same stuff. People ask us why we're so competitive,'' Brent lamented the other day. ``Every sibling goes through phases when you're growing up. You may not get along for a while but then you grow up, become friends and enjoy spending time together.''

It is fitting that the Barrys would wind up in L.A., in opposite camps. In the NBA family the Lakers and Clippers are the resident sibling rivals. The Lakers are the more popular, more successful big brother; the Clippers, the kid brother stubbornly trying to break clear of the shadows and forge his own identity.

From the darkest depths of the Pacific Division to the light at the top, it's an arduous climb. Especially when you're carrying the weight of a sorry history on your shoulders.

``I find it difficult,'' Brent said. ``I also find it to be a challenge. You can cry about it or you can go out and work hard and try to earn everybody's respect.''

As a kid Brent used to picture himself in a Lakers jersey (that is, when he wasn't imagining himself in the Boston Celtics' green). So what is it like to imagine his brother actually wearing the colors that Magic Johnson made fashionable?

``I'm just glad he got a job,'' Brent quipped. He paused to let his jive sink in, then added, ``To play for a team like the Lakers or the Celtics that has that mystique has got to be a dream come true. They still have that mystique about them. ''

The staying power of the Lakers and Celtics is borne out in the tired, hissing videotapes that Brent has mixed amongst all his favorite ``Seinfeld'' episodes. The brothers reviewed for the umpteenth time the epic championship battles waged by the Lakers and the Celtics in the 1980s when Jon, 28, stayed with Brent, 25, for a few days earlier in the week.

Each since has gone his separate way - Brent to La Jolla for the opening today of Clippers' training camp and Jon to Palm Desert to get acquainted with his new teammates.

The next seven months will be a telling time for the brothers, neither of whom logged as many minutes last year as he would have liked. Jon started the 1996-97 campaign as a regular in the Atlanta Hawks' lineup. But as the nights grew longer so did his pine time.

Brent got stuck in a traffic jam in the Clippers' backcourt that tested his patience like nothing he ever has encountered on the 405. A shooting guard by choice (his .409 shooting percentage last year notwithstanding), Barry played mostly point out of necessity. He appeared in 59 games, none as a starter, after starting 44 games as a rookie in 1995-96.

During the off season the Clippers created more maneuvering room for Barry by letting Malik Sealy and Terry Dehere go. With Darrick Martin returning to play the point, Brent has visions of shooting into the fast lane for one heckuva joyride.

He figures to have plenty of fuel, what with the Clippers' sixth postseason appearance in their 27-year existence immediately behind him and the final year of his contract straight ahead.

``The opportunity for me to play is tremendous,'' Brent said.

While Brent speaks breathlessly about doors being opened, Jon still feels the sting of doors being shut in his face. ``This is my third one-year contract in a row,'' Jon said. ``I'm tired of going into every July not knowing where I'm going to be.''

If Jon seems eager to have security with him in the backcourt, there's good reason. He and his wife Betsy are expecting their first child at the end of April.

``It'll be nice to be able to spend time with him and his wife and be around for the birth of his baby,'' Brent said. ``The last few years I've only seen him a couple of times during the season and I never really had a chance to talk to him much because we weren't both on the court.''

Brent laughed. ``That's a rib, by the way.''

There was no need to remind Jon. For the Barrys, brotherhood has come to mean never having to say you're kidding.