Are Shaq and Lakers Up to the Challenge?

SALT LAKE CITY — Curses! Foiled again!

Revenge may be a little more straightforward around Smallville and Metropolis, but in these parts, otherwise known as the real world, Shaquille O’Neal has to go it without his hero, Superman. So he instead enlists the help of the newest form of motivation, make believe of another kind.

“Ostertag over there, bragging he shut me down,” O’Neal said Monday of the newest villain in his life, Utah Jazz center Greg Ostertag. “Shut me down, huh? That’s an insult. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Meaning tonight, in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Delta Center, with the Jazz holding a 1-0 lead after Sunday’s 93-77 victory that included the worst shooting game of O’Neal’s Laker career. One problem.

Ostertag wasn’t bragging.

Ostertag wasn’t even patting himself on the back hard enough to risk a pulled arm muscle. Ostertag was, however, predicting just this, that O’Neal would take the tamest of comments and turn them into fuel.

O’Neal, of course, has enough anyway: a 17-point performance in Game 1 in which he made only six of 16 shots and had one block in 39 minutes, although he also grabbed 12 rebounds. But it’s not needed anyway. Just don’t tell him.

All season, O’Neal has not merely talked about responding after games that were not up to the lofty standards he formed. He has done it.

Only once did he have consecutive games of fewer than 20 points while playing at least 30 minutes, Jan. 18 against the Detroit Pistons, when he also grabbed 19 rebounds, and Jan. 20 against the Dallas Mavericks. And the next time out, he had 33 points and 13 rebounds.

He scored 19 points--and added 18 rebounds--against the Atlanta Hawks . . . then got 34 and 15 against the Houston Rockets.

He had 16 against the Phoenix Suns . . . and then 26 against the Warriors.

“Absolutely, he will be back,” said Coach Del Harris, who on a few occasions this season has had to gently remind his superstar center not to be so hard on himself.

“He will give everything he can to make it work for him,” Harris said. “He’s always made it work like that.”

O’Neal agreed, saying, “I’ve been doing that ever since I was in Little League. One time, in baseball, I struck out three times. The next game, I had eight home runs.”

No word on how many were off Ostertag.

The Game 1 loss by no means fell entirely at the doorstep of O’Neal, but one of the biggest Laker problems was the inability to adjust to the Jazz’s quick double-teaming inside, a contrast to the first round and the Portland Trail Blazers, who usually waited for O’Neal to get into the lane or start his dribble, or sometimes simply were not aggressive. Utah, on the other hand, came at him on the catch, or even when the pass was still in the air.

O’Neal handled it well in that he didn’t force shots, but the passes out of the double team, an area in which he has greatly improved over the last couple seasons, led to four turnovers. And his teammates didn’t react properly either, clustering on the perimeter instead of spacing, allowing the Jazz defenders outside to recover without much difficulty.

The Lakers handled it much better after halftime. They just didn’t make shots, getting good looks but still going five for 24 in the third quarter and four for 17 in the fourth. Thus, a 37-point second half.

O’Neal has developed his passing skills to where he finished second among centers in assists, at 3.1 a game, trailing only the 3.7 of Vlade Divac. That makes four consecutive seasons of improvement, from the 0.64 as a rookie, to 2.41 to 2.71 and then 2.87 in 1995-96. His first season as a Laker included six games with at least seven assists, compared to only three times in 295 appearances with the Orlando Magic.

“I’m not really looking to score 30, 40 points,” he said. “If they don’t double me, of course I will do what I know. But, I can pass.”

Added Harris: “I don’t read every word written and hear everything that’s said. But people should acknowledge he’s a good passing center.”

Just don’t tell O’Neal if they do.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NBA PLAYOFFS

TONIGHT’S GAME

LAKERS vs. JAZZ

Jazz leads series 1-0

* Time: 7:30 p.m.

* TV: Fox Sp. West

* RANDY HARVEY

It’s whining to us, but something totally different to playoff participants. C2

NBA PLAYOFFS

LAKERS vs. JAZZ

Jazz leads series 1-0

* Game 1: Jazz, 93-77

* Tonight: at Utah, 7:30

* Thursday: at Forum, 7:30 p.m.

* Saturday: at Forum, 12:30 p.m.

* Monday: at Utah, 7:30 p.m.-x

* May 14: at Forum, TBA-x

* May 17: at Utah, TBA-x

* if necessary