The Game Belongs to Shaq

As if the Utah Jazz versus Shaquille O’Neal didn’t turn out to be a big enough mismatch Sunday afternoon, there was Nick Van Exel against Shaquille O’Neal. Literally. Against his body, if only for a moment following a leap.

“Not smart,” O’Neal said.

But understandable. Van Exel had the best of intentions when he learned what it’s like to chest bump a brick wall after a running start, wanting to leap into the arms of O’Neal in celebration and maybe even be carried for an instant. The way O’Neal had just carried all the Lakers in a dramatic 100-98 victory before 17,505 at the Forum that broke the Jazz’ 15-game winning streak.

O’Neal, in only his second game back after being sidelined nearly two months because of a knee injury, missed 11 of his first 14 shots, then made another impressive recovery. He scored 39 points, two shy of his season high. He grabbed 13 rebounds. And, not simply responding by connecting on 11 of his next 15 attempts, he also hit the game-winner at the buzzer, a fall-away 14-footer on the left baseline.

So it was the Lakers’ biggest man who came through on their biggest day of the season. Their thrilling victory, combined with Seattle getting crushed by Houston, moved the Lakers back into a first-place tie with the SuperSonics in the Pacific Division and the No. 2 spot in the West.

As if what went on in Inglewood wouldn’t have been enough.

The Lakers got the victory, and revenge. They had lost the first three games to the Jazz, by an average of 17.7 points at that, and were in danger of being swept for the first time in the season series.

Beyond that, the Lakers had put extra weight on this final meeting of the regular season. It would not only be a test against the team that will finish the regular season No. 1 in conference, but what they viewed as a true test because it would be the first of the four games when the Jazz had not been off the night before while the Lakers played and traveled.

This time, both teams had Saturday off. When O’Neal then started to take Sunday off, missing several two-footers in the first quarter and five of six shots in all, there was concern on the Laker sideline.

“To put it in a word,” Coach Del Harris said, “yes.”

Things quickly began to look better. O’Neal shot a more respectable five for 11 from the field in the second quarter, then got word at halftime in the locker room from team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo, impressed at how the all-star center had been moving, that all time restrictions had been lifted.

It was probably only supposed to be until the end of the game anyway, but that gave Harris the green light to stay with O’Neal as long as he needed. So O’Neal played another 10 minutes in the third quarter, giving him 29. Then he went off.

Playing the entire fourth quarter, making it 41 minutes in all, and made five of his first eight shots of the period. That set the stage for the real heroics, after a timeout with 10.2 seconds left.

“Big Fella said coming out of the timeout that, ‘No matter what happened, get me the ball and the game will be over,’ ” Van Exel said. “So we got him the ball and the game was over.”

But not exactly according to plan. Eddie Jones threw the ball into Van Exel, who dribbled from right to left and looked inside. And then continued to look. Seconds were disappearing.

The problem was that Jones, instead of coming around a screen, stood too close to O’Neal. So Jones’ man, Bryon Russell, was available for a quick double-team. The clock now down to about three, Van Exel had no choice but to make the pass then.

O’Neal caught it, then drifted back to avoid Russell and Greg Ostertag, and shot. When it went through at the buzzer, the Lakers celebrated, O’Neal screaming and Van Exel jumping into his arms. At least before bouncing off.

“He almost knocked me down,” Van Exel said.

Almost. The Jazz didn’t get off so easy.