76ers’ Best Move Would Be if They Could Move O’Neal

Unless the Philadelphia 76ers add a few new wrinkles tonight, their summer vacation will start Saturday and Los Angeles will have to brace itself for another victory parade.

The Lakers have been making all the right moves since a loss in Game 1 and stand a victory from a second consecutive NBA championship. What can the 76ers do to stop the Lakers’ championship parade? Here is a breakdown entering tonight’s Game 5:

76ERS’ MOVE--After their loss in Game 4, some 76ers complained about Laker center Shaquille O’Neal’s tendency to stay underneath the basket on defense. They wondered why the Lakers were not called for more illegal defenses because of O’Neal, who has shut down most of Philadelphia’s penetration throughout the series.

But it’s really Philadelphia’s offense that has allowed O’Neal to dominate. Because 76er center Dikembe Mutombo is not the most mobile center, his inability to move outside has kept O’Neal stationary. It would help the 76ers if they used more pick-and-rolls with Mutombo. But, instead of having him dive inside, the 76ers would be better off stepping him outside. With O’Neal’s lack of concern about any type of perimeter game from Mutombo, making him move around the court more or going with a motion offense could free up players for easy baskets.

If the 76ers force O’Neal to follow Mutombo around, this could open the court up for Allen Iverson and role players such as Aaron McKie, Eric Snow and Raja Bell. Philadelphia went to more of a motion offense in the second half Wednesday, when Coach Larry Brown opened the third quarter with Bell starting in place of small forward Jumaine Jones. Don’t be surprised if he goes with that look early tonight or even puts Bell into the starting lineup.

One reason the 76ers won Game 1 was because they sent O’Neal to the free-throw line 22 times and he missed 12. Although his stroke improved when he made eight of nine attempts in Game 3, O’Neal made only eight of 16 in Game 4.

The 76ers could help themselves tonight by fouling O’Neal whenever he gets the ball near the basket. Call it a soft “Hack-a-Shaq.” By preventing O’Neal from dunking and his teammates from making perimeter shots, Philadelphia could finally break the Lakers’ rhythm.

LAKERS’ MOVE--Although they are not getting a lot of fastbreak points, the Lakers are playing at a tempo that fits them well. When they have an opportunity to run, they take it. But most of the time, they are able to score transition baskets by moving the ball swiftly after breaking the 76ers’ full-court pressure defense. Kobe Bryant is the master of the secondary break and his relentless offensive attack has proved to be too much for the 76ers.

Rick Fox and Horace Grant do not get much credit because their scoring has been down, but they are making all of the right plays to help the Lakers control the flow. With Philadelphia likely to go with a small lineup early and often tonight, look for the Lakers to match with their version of small when they insert Robert Horry.

In Game 4, the Lakers had a whopping 24 assists with Bryant and O’Neal leading the way. When your top two players lead a team in assists, that usually signifies an unselfish team, which is what the Lakers have become.

OVERLOOKED--The first quarter will be the key tonight. When the Lakers jump out early, they have too much firepower for the 76ers to rally. When the Lakers get O’Neal and Bryant involved in the offense, the rest of the team feeds off them.

Brown might be forced to call upon his ABA and college coaching days and try all types of tricks against the Lakers tonight. What else can he do? He doesn’t have many options.