Ankle Keeps O’Neal Out of a Scrimmage

Shaquille O’Neal, who experienced tightness in the left ankle he sprained more than a week ago, did not scrimmage with the rest of the Lakers on Saturday.

He is expected to resume practice Monday, by which time the Lakers will have identified an opponent for the NBA finals, which begin Wednesday night at Staples Center.

There appears to be little concern about O’Neal’s ankle, which he rolled in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. He played without limping in Game 4, two days later. O’Neal practiced hard Thursday and Friday, which could have led to Saturday’s swelling.

“He did some therapy today due to some swelling,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “He ran well [Friday], but there’s some swelling, and this was a precautionary thing. It changed the context of the [scrimmage], obviously, but it was a 98-99 game and it was well played and guys played hard.”

In the event the Lakers play the Philadelphia 76ers in the finals, one story line will be Kobe Bryant going home, where he was roundly booed last time he played there, on Feb. 14.

Apparently, Bryant is perceived there as a threat to Allen Iverson.

Bryant was unimpressed with the chance of winning an NBA title near the town, Lower Merion, where he attended high school.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I won the state championship there. That was pretty cool.”