With a week of games to play, the Lakers seem destined to step into the NBA postseason less familiar with themselves than ever.

Having officially abandoned the middle ground of playing just well enough to win for the higher drama of unpredictability, they looked up from their lockers to Phil Jackson on Tuesday night and found no immediate answers.

"Glad that's over with," he told them after the Portland Trail Blazers had won by 11 points. He told them to take a day, that they needed it, adding, "I'll see you Thursday."

At the very moment they'd expected to find competence and community, the Lakers listed, lost consecutive home games for the first time in more than a year, fell from first in the Western Conference standings to third, and left themselves with four games to solve it all.

"We're not playing together well, offensively or defensively, at this point," Assistant Tex Winter said. "Most of the guys are playing hard. We're just not very effective.

"Offensively, we have to space the floor better. We have to understand what we are looking for on the floor. Defenses are getting into the lane and we're forcing things, forcing the ball into Shaq. Also, Kobe's taking the ball into the lane on penetration and there's just nothing there."