Shaq Shows He Can Hack It

That was Shaquille O’Neal making free throws, hanging his hand artfully over his wrist, staring at Don Nelson.

That was O’Neal pulling a rebound from the cloud that hung over the Lakers for a week, maybe more, dunking the put-back, screaming at no one in particular, but maybe at the slump that rides them almost without mercy.

Still the most feared player in the game come April and May and June, O’Neal scored 35 points and took 13 rebounds, and the crowd at Staples Center rose when he left the floor with a minute left. The Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 98-89, on Friday night, just in time to beat back disaster for a few hours.

“Shaq established himself early on in the game,” Laker guard Brian Shaw said. “He did a great job softening up the middle for drives, cuts and open shots.

“He just dominated and opened the floor up for guys like me and [Derek] Fisher.”

The Lakers played with the Pacific Division shrinking around them, the Mavericks and Portland pressing from behind, San Antonio and Sacramento extending their advantages. They played with Kobe Bryant on the bench for a fifth consecutive game, and having lost the last two by 21 and 24 points.

They got a little more participation from guys other than Shaq, and as a result swept the Mavericks, a possible first-round playoff opponent.

Given their defense leaves them little choice, the Lakers simply scored with the Mavericks, then a little more often, enough to momentarily delay their slide out of the top four playoff qualifiers in the Western Conference.

O’Neal made a ton of free throws, 13 of 17, all of them in front of Nelson, who could not have envisioned such a development. O’Neal grinned at the Maverick coach, particularly when he believed the hacks from the likes of Shawn Bradley or Calvin Booth were aimed at his wrists, rather than the ball.

Shooting coach Eddie Palubinskas left town, but his methods remain. O’Neal has made 80 of 117 (68.4%) in his last seven games.

It left Nelson without his hack-a-Shaq option.

“I wasn’t worried about that,” O’Neal said. “I’m not worrying about that ever again.”

Since the free throws began to fall, O’Neal has been more aggressive offensively.

“He feels very comfortable playing the game, and not worrying about having to get his shot off quickly, or catching and trying to squirt one off before he gets fouled,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “He takes the fouls and makes them pay for it.

“I seem to think he looks over at that bench every time he makes a foul shot, doesn’t he?”

O’Neal laughed. “No I wasn’t,” he said. “I’m a classy player. I don’t do things like that.”

Matchups don’t come much better for the Lakers than O’Neal versus Bradley, and O’Neal scored 20 first-half points, many of them after backing through Bradley’s chest. In turn, the Mavericks pressed their advantage with Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 19 first-half points against Rick Fox and Robert Horry. Nowitzki finished with 24.

The Lakers, who have won 21 in a row at home against the Mavericks, arrived playing their worst basketball, without Bryant again, and with their defense utterly lacking. They had given up at least 104 points in seven of 11 games, in part because they miss Bryant.

The Mavericks had won three in a row, nine of 11, and, by most accounts, are stronger with Juwan Howard on their front line.

The Lakers had gotten into some trouble leaning too hard on O’Neal, particularly obvious in Wednesday’s loss to Sacramento. The help, Jackson said, would have to come from the backcourt, Shaw and J.R. Rider in particular.

Five Lakers scored in double figures. Shaw had 14 points and nine rebounds. Rider, out of step since his five-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program, scored 12 points in 17 minutes. The Lakers made seven of 11 three-pointers.

“I can’t worry about what’s happened in the past,” said Rider, who last scored in double figures Feb. 25. “What I can do is help out now when I get a chance. I can still be a potent player. It’s up to me.”

Said Shaw: “At this point, we have to take care of business and win these games.”

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