LOS ANGELES — Was the silly “Where’s Waldo’’ game really necessary from Phil Jackson Tuesday night at Staples Center?
Maybe, instead of hiding in the shadows in a corner suite, Jackson should have parked himself front and center inside the arena where he was once the brilliant conductor of five Lakers championship teams.
Perhaps had Jackson, the new Knicks president hired last week, sat close enough to make eye contact with the woeful team he just took over for $60 million for the next five years, his presence might have served as some semblance of motivation or intimidation.
Instead, his players inexplicably sleep-walked through an embarrassing 127-96 loss to the Lakers to slip precariously closer to playoff elimination.
This game, the first of a season-defining five-game road trip, was as inexcusable as a loss can be because it came against a team depleted with injuries and with nothing to play for.
The Knicks got their butts kicked by a Lakers lineup Jackson probably did not even recognize — one without Kobe Bryant (out for the season with a knee injury), Pau Gasol (vertigo), Steve Nash (nerve root irritation) and Jordan Farmar (strained groin).
Playing with their full complement of starters, the Knicks were routed by the likes of Kent Bazemore (18 points), Nick Young (20) and Xavier Henry (22) — not exactly household names, even in Los Angeles.
Making matters even more humiliating for Jackson and the Knicks is the fact they were schooled by former coach, Mike D’Antoni, whose hire in 2012 raised the ire of Lakers fans who wanted Jackson re-hired for a second stint.
After leading 50-42 at the half, the Lakers took a 101-73 lead into the fourth quarter after scoring 51 points in the third quarter — the most points scored in a quarter in Lakers franchise history and the most points allowed in a quarter in Knicks franchise history.
Fifty-one points. In one quarter. All-Star game numbers, with no defense played. Any team that yields 51 points in one quarter is one that is simply not trying hard enough, plain and simple.
“Unacceptable,’’ is how Knicks coach Mike Woodson described it.
“Very shocking,’’ Tyson Chandler said. “I didn’t expect this coming in here. I can’t really explain it, to be quite honest.’’
Does this sound like the effort of a team that deserves to be playing playoff basketball in less than a month?
Not even close.
Earlier in the day, the enigmatic Zen Master showed up at the Knicks shootaround, but gave reporters the slip when he clandestinely disappeared out a back door.
Word was he was not going to attend the game for fear of creating a circus atmosphere and distraction where he used to be the face of the once-proud championship franchise. The funny thing is this: Maybe a Jackson distraction would have helped the Knicks.
Maybe if he was more visible to the Lakers fans who packed the building, it would have created an uncomfortable atmosphere for the home team if L.A. fans, ticked off the Jackson ended up in New York, were chanting his name.
That, however, is rather unlikely, considering how bad the Knicks looked. This was supposed to be one of the easy games on the road trip that moves on to Sacramento for a Wednesday night game against the 25-45 Kings, then Friday night in Phoenix (42-29), Sunday at Golden State (44-27) and Monday at Utah (23-48).
The Knicks are now 29-42 and three games out of the final playoff spot, having erased the momentum of an eight-game winning streak with consecutive losses to the Cavaliers and Lakers.
Jackson was hired by the Knicks to change their wayward culture. He obviously has a lot of work to do, and the jury will be out for awhile on whether he can be as effective from the front office as he was as a coach.
“Bottom line is he’s a guy that’s not going to take any crap,’’ Nash told The Post. “I think in some ways one of the difficult things in New York is there are a lot of voices, a lot of people, a lot of change, and now you’ve got one voice … and a secure one at that.’’