SHIRT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD MALONE'S ROUGH PLAY IRKS ROCKETS, BUT HIS FORTITUDE HELPING LAKERS.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Karl Malone Jr.'s jersey collection was already large enough to start his own personal shrine. He had Kobe's No. 8 and Shaq's No. 34, a Gary Payton, a Rick Fox and a Derek Fisher and several of pop's old No. 32s with ``Jazz'' across the front.

But the prize of the bunch now is the tattered purple No. 11, the one still wet from Sunday night's historic performance, the one Karl Malone refused to take off until the game was over, despite the jagged tear down the right shoulder and the loose threads pushing in a hundred directions.

Before the Lakers left Houston, Malone had already received a text message from his 8-year-old son asking for the jersey. When Karl Jr. got it early Monday morning, he was almost too excited to go to school.

``He likes it because it's torn,'' Malone said.

Some day, Karl Jr. will understand just what all the frayed edges represent.

The Lakers, up three games to one against the Houston Rockets, are still far from championship form, and Malone still 13 victories shy of his dream.

But the road to the Larry O'Brien trophy will be paved with the sort of archetypal images Malone provided Sunday evening.

Armor pierced, muscles twitching, all machismo and pride and sheer desire.

The Rockets left the arena still stinging over Malone's display of aggression, the takedown of Bostjan Nachbar as much as the 30 points and 13 rebounds. The Lakers came home simply grateful to have the greatest 40-year-old in NBA history among them, pushing them toward the next round.

``Karl,'' coach Phil Jackson said, ``was terrific.''

``A great performance by him,'' Gary Payton said.

Only one other 40-year-old has scored 30-plus in the playoffs - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 32 points for the Lakers in Game 6 of the 1987 Finals. Malone, who turns 41 in July, beat Abdul-Jabbar for the honor of oldest to hit the mark, by nine months.

``I didn't know all of that,'' he said sheepishly. ``I don't really keep up with all of that.''

Without Malone's unexpected flirtation with the record books in Game 4, this series might very well be tied at 2-2. Without his sudden surge over the past week, the Lakers might be staring at elimination, rather than clinching the series, in Wednesday's Game 5.

After a regular season disrupted by injury and slowed by triangle training, Malone has become everything Shaquille O'Neal wanted when he recruited him and all that Jackson hoped for, and more. Since a difficult Game 1, when an ankle sprain marred his performance, Malone has averaged 21.7 points on .574 shooting and 10.7 rebounds.

On Sunday, as the Rockets repeatedly collapsed on O'Neal and crowded Kobe Bryant, Malone became the first player other than the original Combo to lead the team in scoring in a playoff game in three years. Fisher was the last to grab the spotlight, with a 28-point game against San Antonio, May 27, 2001.

``It's a result of the playoffs, stepping up to meet the demands of a playoff,'' Jackson said. ``And his leadership quality that he's exhibited.

``We want the open man to get the shots, and Karl's the open man. ... Karl has realized that, stepped into the vacuum made the most of it.''

If Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy adjusts to Malone's sudden prominence by sticking a defender to him at all times, well, that's exactly what the Lakers have always wanted: a power forward who relieves O'Neal of the constant double-teams.

And if the Rockets are still angry over Malone's physical brand of play, the Lakers will welcome that, too. Everyone from Houston owner Les Alexander (``Malone is bull'') to Rockets guard Steve Francis (``You know what kind of dirt he brings to the game'') sounded off Sunday after another bruising day.

Alexander was already angry over Malone's knockdown of Yao Ming in Game 3, among other incidents, and had called for a suspension. Then Malone, defending on a fast break in the first half of Game 4, turned and undercut a flying Nachbar under the hoop. Nachbar fell hard to the floor, pulling and ripping Malone's jersey as he dropped.

Francis shoved Malone in the chest and a brawl nearly ensued. Malone was unmoved by the reactions.

``I'm not in the business of backing down from anybody,'' he said.

Regarding Francis' shove, Malone brushed his own shoulder and said, ``You know what that is? That's a (bleeping) little gnat. That's what that is. I don't get caught up in that. I've been hit harder by my little 5-year-old daughter than that.''

On Monday, Malone was back at work, lifting weights and preparing his 40-year-old body for another night of blue-collar work, grateful still for this unique opportunity. The Rockets will get his best again Wednesday.

``I'm just kind of glad it's coming now,'' Malone said.

``Hopefully, I can keep it up, and not get really caught up in it. I haven't read the papers and listened to radio or any of that. I'm just trying to stay focused on what we need to do as a team and we go from there. Other people deserve a lot of credit for us winning that game.''

As for the jersey, it's unwashed and part of Karl Jr.'s collection now. But, the elder Malone said, ``I wish I could sew it up and wear it again.''

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

GAME 5

HOUSTON at LAKERS

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1330-AM.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Karl Malone became the oldest player to score 30 points in a playoff game Sunday against Houston.

(2) Houston's Steve Francis (3), being fouled by Derek Fisher, was upset with Lakers forward Karl Malone's physical play on Sunday.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box:

(1) GAME 5

(2) LAKERS vs. ROCKETS: Lakers lead best-of-seven series 3-1