Shaq Goes Back to Move Forward

Shaquille O’Neal has seen the future and it is his past.

Watching films of how he shot free throws in high school gave the Laker center a new approach, which then gave him a new result. Shooting only 50.4% from the line this season after 54.6% his previous four years, O’Neal is at 60% the last nine games, and made 11 of 16 Wednesday at Milwaukee. Forget that one of the misses was a line-drive airball.

“You know how when you think too much, nothing goes right?” he said. “Now, I just go to the line and shoot.

“I’ve been working on them. I’ve kind of got it figured out. The last three or four or five years, everyone has been giving me advice on what to do there. I’d take some dribbles, be stopping, thinking. Now, I’m just shooting. I’m a scorer.”