Sure, the Lakers would have liked to end this in five games. But Denver rolled through the first two rounds, hadn’t lost a home game since March and won Game 2 in L.A. Had to expect the Nuggets would win one of these two in Denver.

So, the Lakers, 2-2 in this series and looking at a best-of-three with home-court advantage to get to the NBA Finals … if you had given the Lakers that proposition back in October, I imagine they would have jumped at it.

It is rather important they win Game 5 in Staples on Wednesday. Which ought to be doable. If they can get Lamar Odom to show up.

Yep. Lamar. He has eclipsed Derek Fisher as the Biggest Lakers Problem. I think everyone in basketball except Phil Jackson has given up on D-Fish. But it would really, really help if Lamar got it going. Like,  for a couple of the next three games.

Lamar. Sigh. Have we been over this before? Did we ever decide what he is? The worst good player ever? The best horrible player ever?

We know he is massively inconsistent. Capable of of an impressive game … and an execrable one. In consecutive games. Of equal import. He is just so amazingly erratic.

Mostly, he has been subpar in the Denver series. Scoring 7.5 points per game, 10-for-29 from the field (that’s 34.5 percent), averaging 8.0 rebounds per game and getting abused a lot in the lane. Five points tonight on 1-of-8 shooting. I suppose he could be hurt. The back thing, from the fall in Game 2? But still, other guys are hurt, and they haven’t gone dead on their teams.

He ought to be the Lakers’ No. 3 option (remember when he was No. 2, pre-Gasol? No matter Kobe Bryant wanted out). Instead, he is hardly an option at all. He doesn’t seem to want the ball, and he doesn’t seem capable of getting an open shot that isn’t a three. Dude, you’re 6-10 and ought to be killing the Nuggets’ front court.

The good news for the Lakers is … he is overdue for one of those random Lamar eruptions, where he puts up a 20-and-10 and TV guys talk about how underappreciated he is. Etc.

He certainly has reason to do something: His contract is up as soon as this season ends, and he’s about to take a paycut. And if he continues doing little more than taking up space, clanking shots and watching the Nuggets beat him to rebounds … it could cost him millions more in some sort of 3-4-year deal. Maybe tens of millions.

So, as bad as he has looked … I expect him to come up big in Game 5, on Wednesday.

That should be enough for the Lakers to win. Carmelo Anthony seems nicked up. J.R. Smith just had his one good game. Chauncey Billups is going to start showing wear and tear any minute now … and Lamar is gonna go 20-and-10.

At least I think he will. He ought to.

Game 4 tonight … well, nothing much to take out of it. The Nuggets had to win the game to make it a series, and they played with desperation and aggression the Lakers didn’t match. But they still didn’t shake the Lakers until the fourth quarter. It was a lot closer than 120-101. If Lamar had shown up, if the Lakers had rebounded as if they cared … they could have won this one.

Yeah, I’m the guy who “gave up” on this team about a week ago. But now I’ve gone sort of Zen about it.

They aren’t significantly better than the Nuggets, and maybe not better at all. But they still have Kobe Bryant, they have the home court, Phil Jackson is going to work the referees for the next 40 hours, and I just have a feeling that Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen all will have two fouls in the first quarter …

And the Lakers win Game 5 without a whole lot of trouble. Then they lose Game 6 in Denver, and it comes down to a Game 7, and we sit around wondering if Lamar will show up.