AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - As if the Los Angeles Lakers don't have enough to worry about with the Detroit Pistons, they're also dealing with injuries and outside distractions.
Karl Malone is playing despite having what he believes to be a torn ligament in his right knee, and Derek Fisher and Devean George have also been slowed by injured knees.
Perhaps that at least partially explains the limited contributions from the so-called supporting cast to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant through three games of the NBA Finals. The Lakers haven't had a player score in double figures other than their big two.
Meanwhile, an unidentified fan's allegation that Malone poked him in the face before Game 3 was being investigated by police Friday.
And several other fans have made it difficult for the Lakers to get their rest by harassing them in the wee hours at their hotel in nearby Birmingham.
The Lakers can't get out of this area soon enough, but they've got to win Sunday or Tuesday to send the series back to Los Angeles.
No home team has won the three middle games of the finals since the 2-3-2 format began in 1985, but the Pistons are playing like they might be the first.
"It seems like their desire to be in this position to be champions is greater than ours at this point," Fisher said a day after the Pistons beat the Lakers 88-68 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
"I'm not worried," George said. "I won't be worried until there is two seconds left and we're down."
Malone was limited to 18 minutes in Game 3 by what the Lakers have called a sprained ligament in his right knee. He missed 39 regular-season games with a torn ligament that was originally called a sprain.
Malone believes he has another tear, but as he seeks the first championship of a 19-year career, he plays on.
He said the team's medical staff is doing everything they can to get him ready to play.
"It's just how I respond. Go figure - the same injury twice. It's just one of those things," Malone said.
Malone was still upset about his encounter with a fan before Game 3.
"To me, he was really out of line," Malone said. "Just because you buy a ticket doesn't mean you should be able to get on the court and degrade somebody."
Asked whether the confrontation occurred, Auburn Hills police Lt. James Manning said, "It's on tape on national TV."
The man was at the edge of the court during the Lakers' pregame layup drill. Malone, the NBA's second-leading career scorer, said the fan had obviously been drinking and spit in his face while heckling him.
Malone jabbed his right index finger toward the man. Whether he made contact, Malone said, "Maybe I did, but he was in my playing field. He was on the court. Where was the security in the arena?"
The man complained to the Auburn Hills police.
"At this time, the investigation is going on and we are not releasing any information about the case," Manning said, declining to comment further.
Manning said police have talked to the fan and that "he is a complainant in the case."
"I'm not going to let a guy spit on me, I'm not going to take that. I've never had that happen before," Malone said.
PRESIDENT SHAQ? O'Neal said he wants to take over as president of the NBA players' union, effective immediately.
"It's time for somebody professional to get in there to help the league stay strong," the All-Star center said. "We've had big-name guys go up there and talk, but millionaires can't negotiate with billionaires through aggression."
The comments from O'Neal come as the union and league are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the current one, which expires after next season.
Michael Curry of the Toronto Raptors is the current union president, and his term doesn't expire until after next season.
Curry angered some members of the 400-or-so member association last year when he said he wanted to own an NBA team someday.
OFFICIATING IN QUESTION: Lakers coach Phil Jackson criticized the series' refereeing, saying the free throw discrepancy is due to a double standard.
"I'm going to have to make a stand with the officials, and we have to be able to play defense the way (the Pistons) play defense," Jackson said. "If we attempt to play this type of defense, it's ridiculous the foul calls that are (made), the disparity in this."
The Pistons have shot 91 free throws in the series to Los Angeles' 56 - including 28 by O'Neal, who's averaging nearly 12 a game in the postseason.
GAME 3 RATINGS: Detroit's dominating win was the highest-rated show on network television Thursday night. ABC's coverage got a 10.5 rating with a 19 share, 50 percent higher than the 7.0 earned by last season's Game 3 between New Jersey and San Antonio.
