From new to old rivals

And now, the Lakers get to relax and enjoy themselves as they drift gently toward the playoffs, whenever they may begin.

Not quite. Reality beckons.

If Friday's game against New Orleans was big, today's game against San Antonio qualifies as big, even though it's becoming almost cliche to say with the playoffs still almost a week away.

But the season gets later and the Western Conference gets tighter, perhaps in historic proportion.

A conference has had seven teams with 50 or more regular-season victories only one other time (2001-02) since the NBA adopted conference play in 1970-71. If Denver or Golden State reaches the 50-victory plateau, league history will be made.

It's a reason why veteran Derek Fisher, he of 12 NBA seasons and, of course, "0.4" fame, couldn't remember a regular season like this.

"It would be hard to do," he said. "I don't think I can, not honestly. I don't think there's been a year where you legitimately feel like one through four or five [in the West], possibly six, depending on what market you write in, have a chance to win the championship."

Today's game is merely the latest episode.

The Lakers (55-25) are now tied with the Hornets, but they they own the tiebreaker in conference record. They lead the Spurs (54-25) by half a game, and a Lakers victory today clinches at least second place in the West.

A Lakers loss, however, gives San Antonio the advantage in the first playoff tiebreaker, head-to-head games, which the Spurs currently own, 2-1.

The Lakers have heard the stories all season long -- the Spurs are old, they're past their prime -- but don't subscribe to them.

After all, the Spurs have won four championships in the last nine years and have won 10 of their last 12 games, a no-longer-surprising late-season run for the veteran team.

"They aren't as old and slow as people like to say they are," Fisher said.

And they still play defense, holding opponents to 90.4 points a game, third-best in the league behind Detroit and Boston.

"The real key with San Antonio is about being able to score at the offensive end," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "We have to understand exactly what we're going to accomplish out there."

It looked as if the Lakers would rip through New Orleans on Friday, but then the second half rolled around and the Hornets turned a 30-point hole into a one-point deficit.