O’Neal’s mind is at full speed, but not his body
February 21st, 2008 Lakers Commentary
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by Helene Elliott
His competitive instincts kick in against the Lakers in his debut for the Suns, sometimes looking like his old self. But other times, he looked just old.
PHOENIX — Shaquille O’Neal wrestled and writhed, diving for the ball all over the court and trying to squeeze a few more gallons of diesel from a body running as much on adrenaline as on muscle memory.
In his first appearance as a member of the Phoenix Suns and first game since Jan. 21, O’Neal sometimes looked like the dominant Shaq of old. Sometimes he looked just plain old, lumbering upcourt while the game around him accelerated to a breathtaking pace.
Yet, he got stronger as the evening got later, an encouraging sign for a man who believes there are championship chapters left to be added to a career that brought him three NBA titles with the Lakers and one with the Miami Heat.
“This is only our first game playing and we’re not really used to each other,” he said. “And when we get used to each other, we’re going to be the most dangerous team ever created.”
The man never was understated, was he?
Whether inspired by playing against the Lakers or gratitude he was airlifted out of Miami and plunked into the middle of a terrific Western Conference playoff scramble, O’Neal found a competitive groove Wednesday.
He scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and recorded three assists in nearly 29 minutes, saving his best effort — nine points and three rebounds — for the fourth quarter.
Bryant’s 41 helps Lakers spoil O’Neal’s Phoenix debut, 130-124
February 21st, 2008 Lakers Game Recap
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By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP)—Kobe Bryant scored 41 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers spoil Shaquille O’Neal’s Phoenix debut with a 130-124 victory over the Suns on Wednesday night.
Pau Gasol added 29, including a breakaway dunk that put Los Angeles up 123-117 with 1:15 to play. Lamar Odom added 22 for the Lakers, who won their sixth in a row to move into a tie with Phoenix atop the Pacific Division.
O’Neal scored nine of his 15 points in the final quarter and grabbed nine rebounds in 29 minutes against his old team in his first game in nearly a month. He came to the Suns a week ago in an unexpected trade that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami. O’Neal played for the Lakers from 1996-2004.
Amare Stoudemire had 37 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix, while Steve Nash added 26 points and eight assists and Leandro Barbosa had 17 points.
O’Neal’s debut came against the team he led to three NBA titles, and the visitors were in control most of the way.
Los Angeles, which routed Atlanta on Tuesday night at home, led by as many as 13 in the first half and was up 65-57 at the break.
Phoenix finally caught up when O’Neal forced a turnover, then scored on a short hook inside to make it 87-87 with 2:31 left in the period. Gasol’s hook shot at the buzzer gave Los Angeles a 95-91 lead entering the fourth.
After Bryant’s layup made it 105-97, rookie D.J. Strawberry twice passed to Barbosa for breakaway layups, then drew an offensive foul against Bryant. Stoudemire followed with a three-point play and Phoenix led for the first time since the early minutes 107-106 with 7:26 remaining.
The Lakers came back, though, and Gasol’s three-point play with 5:43 left capped a 9-2 spurt to put Los Angeles ahead 115-108 5:43 from the end. But O’Neal scored the next six points, the last two on a goaltending call against Bryant, to cut it to 115-114. O’Neal sprinted to the defensive end of the floor after the two points.
LA Lakers (36-17) at Phoenix (37-16)
February 20th, 2008 Lakers Game Preview
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Game Info: 6:00 pm PST
TV: KCAL, ESPN, FSAZ 6:00 pm PST
By MIKE VOTTA, STATS Senior Writer
Shaquille O’Neal loves giving himself nicknames, and now he’s got a new one – “The Big Cactus.”
O’Neal will make his Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he helped lead to three straight NBA titles.
O’Neal was traded to the Suns on Feb. 6 in a deal that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami. The 7-foot-1, 325-pound center has not played yet with his new team because of an injured hip, but is ready for Phoenix’s first game after the All-Star break.
Now, the trick will be working his way into the Suns’ up-tempo offense.
“I’m going to be looking to get out like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens,” Shaq said on Tuesday.
Some doubt the 35-year-old O’Neal – who has been known during his career as “The Diesel,” “The Big Aristotle,” “The Big Daddy,” “Wilt Chamberneezy,” and “The Real Deal” – will be able to keep up with his new teammates.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Shaq to titles from 2000-02, is among the skeptics, saying Shaq’s responsibilities will involve “taking the ball out of bounds and waiting for the other team to get back.”
“He’s a jokester, and that’s funny, very funny,” Shaq said without smiling. “Ha-ha. Very funny.”
Lakers home and spry
February 20th, 2008 Lakers Game Recap
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Playing their first game at Staples Center since Jan. 29, they blow out Hawks in the first half. Bryant and Gasol score 23 apiece.
Home, road, whatever — it doesn’t seem to matter.
Back at Staples Center for the first time in three weeks, the Lakers kept rolling with a 122-93 thrashing of the Atlanta Hawks in front of a keyed-up crowd that obviously missed the home team.
Pau Gasol was welcomed with a standing ovation, Kobe Bryant’s pinkie seemed just fine, and the Lakers won for the eighth time in nine games while taking a staggering 41-point lead near the end of the second quarter.
Bryant had 23 points on eight-for-16 shooting, Gasol matched him with 23 points of his own, and all five Lakers starters were in double-figure scoring . . . midway through the third quarter.
In fact, the Lakers’ starters outscored those of the Hawks, 87-39.
“We just were real aggressive tonight, created turnovers, shot the ball well,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “Not much else to say about that game.”
It’s safe to say the Lakers made up for their three-point loss to the Hawks on their recent trip, one of only two losses in their foray away from Staples Center.
Four of the Lakers’ starters sat out the fourth quarter, the better to rest up for tonight’s game in Phoenix. As if the Lakers-Suns rivalry wasn’t already simmering, Shaquille O’Neal will play his first game for Phoenix.
Gasol’s L.A. debut with Lakers a dandy
February 20th, 2008 Laker News, Pau Gasol
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by Helene Elliott
Three weeks ago, the Lakers left town with a gaping hole in their lineup and gnawing doubts about their short-term future.
Nine games and one astonishing trade later, they returned to Staples Center on Tuesday with a 7-foot souvenir named Pau Gasol and an air of invincibility.
Gasol, stolen from Memphis on Feb. 1, made his Los Angeles debut a night to remember.
Greeted with a roar during the pregame introductions and saluted during timeouts by fans waving the red and yellow flag of his native Spain, Gasol applied an emphatic flourish to the can-you-top-this trades that have made the Western Conference scaringly good.
Gasol scored 23 points in the Lakers’ 122-93 destruction of the Atlanta Hawks, escalating the playoff-level buzz that electrified the building before he put on a home jersey for the first time.
“Once I jump out on the floor I let things flow and I’ve got the concept of the offense more or less,” said Gasol, who also had six rebounds and two assists. “I’m still working on details and options and wrinkles here and there.”
He showed he can dunk the ball, spinning around Zaza Pachulia for a right-handed slam that gave the Lakers an 18-12 lead with 4 minutes 52 seconds left in the first quarter.
