TIMBERWOLVES ARE SIMPLY STAR-STRUCK.

Byline: JOE STEVENS

When Timberwolves players checked into Game 3, they walked off their sideline, past Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas and Jack Nicholson and then, finally, made it to the scorer's table.

It was a silly scene as they entered play, and although Kevin Garnett won his first MVP award this season, the Wolves have been ridiculously outmanned in the Western Conference finals when it comes to star power.

Forget about their plan to guard Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Don't worry about how the Wolves tried to use Garnett to penetrate to either score or pass to Latrell Sprewell and Wally Szczerbiak.

From a simple point of view, the Wolves just aren't ready for the NBA Finals. They've become a one-man show and are lacking that invisible sports magic dust - the intangibles - that you need to advance.

In Game 4 on Thursday night, the stars at Staples Center, of course, still were out. When the third quarter arrived, maybe the biggest star did, too.

Kobe Bryant scored 16 points in the quarter and put the Lakers on top by as many as 15 points during their 92-85 victory. The Lakers are up 3-1 in the series and can close out the series in Timberland on Saturday.

``We have a lot of superstars out there,'' Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. ``But it's been a series where the role players have decided the games.''

``Role players'' stretches the definition of what's winning it for the Lakers. It's team basketball, as opposed to the one-man show Minnesota has been forced to try.

``It's funny that we're calling (Gary) Payton and (Karl) Malone role players,'' Saunders said. ``But that's where they're at now.''

Call it attitude, swagger, cockiness, whatever. The Lakers have it, and Minnesota doesn't.

The Wolves don't have a sense of entitlement that they deserve to advance to the Finals. This is the first season they've advanced in a playoff series, and going further is too big of a stretch.

Malone did not say that or allude to it. But he did say how different it was for him in 1998 when the Jazz made it to the Finals, compared to 1997.

In '97, he said the Jazz had the attitude they were ``just happy to be there'' when they went to the NBA Finals. In '98, the Jazz changed its attitude, believing it should win.

Garnett and the Wolves are about to watch another year ended by the Lakers. He had 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and his teammates shot 33 percent.

``You win as a team, and you lose as a team,'' Garnett said. ``Could I have done anything else? Shaq had 19 rebounds. I could have blocked him out more. There's definitely more I could've done.''

He didn't take out his frustrations on his teammates, but he did on the officials.

``It was like playing against eight,'' he said.

Although the Wolves won't come out and say they're simply happy to be in the Western Conference finals, perhaps they are. Expectations for them to win are premature, and who knows if they'll ever be back?

With Sam Cassell hobbled and Troy Hudson out, Garnett has a similar problem as the Lakers did a year ago - not enough power to go around.

Advancement is near to impossible for the Wolves, or as Garnett simply put it: ``You cannot be down 3-1 to the Lakers.''

As Bryant returned from Eagle, Colo., for the fifth time to play a game and put up a bombastic performance - 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists - the Lakers are experienced enough not to blab their mouths and say the series, and NBA championship, have already been decided.

But they might as well.