This Diesel Is Not About to Make a Stop

Asked to consider the bald mountain that is Shaquille O’Neal, Mark Jackson offered this analogy before Wednesday’s opener of the NBA finals.

“There is an E train in New York City I used to ride every morning on my way to school,” Jackson said. “That would probably be the closest description.”

The Indiana Pacers, then, looked like a woman tied up on the tracks for too much of Game 1. O’Neal bore down upon them for 44 minutes of the Lakers’ 104-87 victory, scoring 43 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, passing out four assists, blocking three shots and wreaking unlimited havoc.

The Pacers now have history as well as O’Neal to overcome. They have never won an NBA playoff series when losing the first game. Their greater concern, however, is the more imposing trend of O’Neal scoring at will.

Indiana tried three different defenders on him and used varying double-teaming tactics, but O’Neal was an equal opportunity destroyer. Unless they can find a way to keep the ball from him or force him farther from the basket, their only hope seems to be for O’Neal to somehow derail himself. He posted up as close to the basket as he pleased, and simply powered his way for easy baskets.