View From The Other Side

The script never changes.

For 32 years, the Phoenix Suns have searched in vain for an impact center. They scrap, they fight, they come up short.

For 32 years, the Lakers have enjoyed an embarrassment of riches. They throw the ball in the middle and hang banners from the ceiling.

End of story.

And a story that never ends.

On Wednesday, the Suns played a whale of a basketball game. Cliff Robinson was simply spectacular. Penny Hardaway continued his postseason assault. The Suns put on a clinic in the art of rebounding. Even the much-maligned Luc Longley played 32 minutes and made a difference.

And the Suns still lost.

Not because Kobe Bryant produced a double-clutch, look-what-I’ve-found jump shot with three seconds remaining.

Because Shaquille O’Neal scored 38 points.

And no one could do a damn thing about it.

Isn’t this getting old?

Surely, Wednesday night’s affair wasn’t fair at all. The Suns outrebounded the Lakers, showed more heart than the Lakers, fought harder than the Lakers. Simply put, the Suns deserved to win, not to have their heart cut out on a last-second jumper that made Dyan Cannon giggle with relief.

But then again, the last three decades have been unfair.

Because you scan the annals of basketball and find one remarkable conclusion:

The Lakers have had three of the four best centers in the NBA’s modern era.

They have employed Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.

Only Bill Russell eluded their grasp.

And all three have been monumental road blocks for the Suns and their quest to become NBA champions.

In the Suns’ 32-year history, there have been only seven seasons when the Lakers didn’t possess the most dominating player in basketball.

So while the Suns’ lack of an impact center has become almost a cliche over the past two decades, the problem has been magnified because the Lakers always have one in their midst.

In the past four seasons, O’Neal has consistently reported to camp in better shape than he was the year before. Each year, he has added a new twist to his low-post arsenal, and every move was on display Wednesday.

Believe it or not, Longley played a tremendous defensive game. And after three quarters, O’Neal still had 27 points.

On Wednesday, all that worked against O’Neal was the Suns’ free-throw defense.

And it wasn’t enough.

Never is against the Lakers. A team that likes to be the center of attention, and the attention of all centers.