Magic Johnson is not happy, not one bit. He went after the Lakers, and then specifically Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

``I think the Lakers had a mind-set that was disrespectful to the Pistons. They thought it was going to be easy. That is not the case,'' Johnson said. ``Unless they come out and play very hard, with the same level of intensity as the Pistons, this series will be over.''

Johnson is a vice president and part-owner of the Lakers, following the Game 3 loss he had this to say.

``I am angry. You have to compete. And we're not competing,'' he said. ``You can just see the Lakers' frustration. No one is welcoming anyone to the bench. Guys are sitting there, wandering off into the crowd, defeated. We've got to get that look off our faces and play basketball the way it's supposed to be played. If not, the series won't get back to Los Angeles.''

First he went after Karl Malone.

``You don't put your finger in a fan's face. That's unacceptable. Lakers don't do that,'' Johnson said of Malone, who claimed the heckler spat on him. ``I don't care what he said. He has been to two finals. I've been to nine. Do you think the Celtics fans didn't say things I didn't like?

Then Gary Payton.

``Gary Payton is 35 years old and isn't the same Gary Payton he was 10 years ago. He has to accept that,'' Johnson said. ``Gary Payton has had a lot of great, wide-open looks and hasn't knocked them down. That doesn't change if you're in the triangle or a 1-4 or what. Wide-open looks are wide-open looks. He shot an airball just the other day, wide-open. Hell, nobody was 10 feet from him. He got it, caught it, wide-open, airball. You've got to make that shot. You've got to make plays. Gary's problem isn't on offense. It's on defense. Billups is using him up.''