Look Who's Looking Up

Riley 's main culprit seemed to be Johnson , whom he benched for five minutes of the second quarter of Game 3, an unprecedented move in the playoffs with the Lakers trailing. Before the tip-off, Magic had sidled over to Utah superfan John (Suds) Sudbury and confessed that his injured groin was paining him so much he could use a transplant. Johnson , who finished with 16 points, 6 assists and no rebounds, was outplayed by Stockton (22, 12 and 4), and his failure to ignite the break left Worthy's game (9 points) out of gear. Johnson 's explanation: "We didn't respect [the Jazz], and they took it to us."

Utah usually prefers to run, but Layden decided on a strategy using a slower tempo, which helped the Jazz in a couple of ways. First, it put increased emphasis on half-court play, which enhances Eaton's value as a lane-clogger and shot-swatter. And it made it less likely that Layden would have to deploy his reserves (sweet-shooting Thurl Bailey , the sixth man, being the main exception).

Riley had hinted at a shake-up for Game 4, and he made a couple of minor changes, starting A.C. Green ahead of Kurt Rambis at power forward and using Johnson instead of Scott to guard Stockton . The Lakers ' more substantial switch was the one to the "on" position, as Johnson created fast-break chances, Worthy drove with daring, and Abdul-Jabbar hit two of his first three shots. Still, Utah 's efficiency was a match for L.A. 's, and when guard Bob Hansen nailed a three-pointer to give the Jazz their 65-56 lead, the Lakers ' hopes of repeating seemed finished.

But soon Hansen and Eaton left the game, each with his fourth foul, and Utah 's woeful bench did it in. The Jazz's nine-point lead dissolved as the Lakers went on a 23-9 run the rest of the third quarter before Layden could get the backups out. Not the least of Utah 's problems was the Los Angeles defense, which had been obscured by the Lakers ' offensive collapse in Games 2 and 3. It held the Jazz to 36.8% shooting in the second half as Utah 's legs sagged and its jumpers fell short. Abdul-Jabbar proved to be L.A. 's defensive anchor, blocking three shots to Eaton's one and leading the Lakers with 11 rebounds.

"We let one get away," lamented Malone, who scored 29 points for the fourth straight game. As the momentum and the series swung back to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday, it was clear the Jazz's fragile chances hinged on retightened defense—L.A. shot 52.4% on Sunday—and untightened psyches. For two games, however, it took the underestimated Jazz to remind L.A. of the fine line between running and losing.