EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Game 2 of the Jazz-Los Angeles Lakers NBA Western Conference semifinal series hasn't even been played yet — it comes tonight — and already Lakers coach Phil Jackson is dreading the atmosphere for Friday's Game 3 in Utah.

Blame the refs. Blame Bear.

Asked Tuesday what makes it so difficult to play in Salt Lake City, Jackson said, "I enumerated some of the things a couple years ago; I was fined $50,000. So that's some of it."

It actually was in March 2004 that Jackson was fined $50,000 by the NBA for saying ref Bob Delaney was "prejudiced against Shaq (O'Neal)" after the ex-Lakers center was ejected for two hard fouls late in a loss to the Jazz.

A $25,000 fine followed in November 2006, when after a game in Utah Jackson criticized the officiating and complained about the Jazz's "roughhouse" play.

That established, Jackson did elaborate.

"The crowd sits on top of the floor," he said. "It's as noisy as anyplace you've ever been. It energizes the team. It intimidates referees that go in there.

"It's tough," Jackson added. "It's a tough environment to win in."

Asked if the EnergySolutions Arena atmosphere also intimidates opposing players, Jackson called out the Jazz's performing team mascot.

"You know," he said, "if we could get that Bear to stop blowing exhaust from the motorcycle in front of our bench for the first two minutes of the warmups — you know, after they gas us — it's not so bad."

It's with all that in mind, then, that the Lakers put extra emphasis on winning tonight.

"You know, it's always kind of fun to play on the road — but they definitely have homecourt advantage," Laker forward Luke Walton said Tuesday. "Their fans get into it. They're always loud. But we know we can win there."

Still, Walton added, "We want to take care of homecourt advantage that much more, because it's gonna be tough to do that."

OH, SHOOT: Ex-Jazz guard Derek Fisher of the Lakers expects Jazz point Deron Williams to improve on his 5-of-18 field shooting from Game 1, and for the Jazz to improve on their 37.9 percent shooting as a team.

"I don't think (Williams) was necessarily 'passive,' or he didn't not try to assert himself in the game," Fisher said. "You know, I think he missed some shots that he's capable of making and probably will make more (tonight) — as well as a few other guys on their team."

MISC.: Walton didn't practice Monday due to an upper respiratory infection that limited his minutes to 13 in Game 1. He did practice Tuesday, but said he "hit a wall" — and that he won't know how many minutes he'll be able to play tonight until seeing how his body feels at game-time. Jackson tried to paint a different picture, suggesting Walton is significantly improved ... Twenty-year-old Lakers center Andrew Bynum in is in New Jersey today to see a specialist and seek additional medical opinion on his problematic left knee, which has sidelined him since mid-January and has him out for the series. Depending on what he hears, surgery may be an option ... With their Game 1 win Sunday, the Lakers broke a six-game postseason losing streak to Utah.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com