Encore for Shaq

The moment will come when Shaquille O’Neal is measured against the greatest forces the NBA has seen, and he’ll almost certainly have an opinion on it. It’s what makes him him.

For now, however, he is the sole problem of the Sacramento Kings, a game, athletic team that nevertheless is two games from summer, because O’Neal is harder and even more athletic and on top of a game that has no current bounds. From the early-season issues with conditioning and free throws, not to mention contrary personalities in his own locker room, O’Neal steeled his game and focus, in an order that matters not at all.

On Tuesday night, he scored 43 points and took 20 rebounds, leading the Lakers to a 96-90 victory at Staples Center and a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.

Added to Sunday’s 44 points and 21 rebounds, O’Neal became the first player in league history with consecutive playoff games of at least 40 points and 20 rebounds. The only other player to accomplish that in the same series was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it three times, most recently in 1962.

“I did OK,” O’Neal said. “I’m here to do a job. I’m using my size and my strength. I’m on a mission here. I’m trying to get my jersey up there with Mr. West’s and Mr. Chamberlain’s.”

He said he would like to bring his son, Shareef, to the arena some day, so the child could marvel, “Dang, Daddy was bad.”

If the jersey thing doesn’t work out, the young man could always call Vlade Divac or Scot Pollard, the King centers who answered Shaq’s game with a combined six points and six rebounds.

“Shaq was a handful again,” Sacramento Coach Rick Adelman said. “We tried to come at him, but we just let him catch it so deep. He’s getting the ball and he’s gone before we can get to him. I guess somehow before Friday we are going to have to find a way to counteract that better.”

After being overrun by O’Neal in Game 1, the Kings did increase their presence around O’Neal. For their efforts, they improved by one point and one rebound. As a result, the Lakers head for Sacramento for Friday’s Game 3 with a healthy, intense O’Neal, who made 18 of 26 field-goal attempts and seven of 13 free-throw tries.

“I’m playing at a high level right now,” he said. “The true test is if I can do it at Sacramento.”

A year ago, in the best-of-five first round against the Kings, the Lakers won the first two games and were swept in Sacramento, requiring a dominant Game 5 to advance.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and nine rebounds, so the Laker attack was again two-pronged. It worked. The Laker bench was outscored, 32-1, and still the Kings needed a desperate, 34-point fourth-quarter to come close.

“I would say our confidence is shaken a little bit, at least mine is,” Pollard said. “Not just because of Shaq. I think we should have come back and had a stronger effort. We were good at times. But this is the playoffs. You have to play the whole game. We didn’t and that’s disappointing.”

The Kings had more end-to-end scoring, but could not match O’Neal. Chris Webber scored 22 points and Peja Stojakovic, guarded aggressively by Rick Fox, had another hard 20.

So reliant on isolation plays, the Kings bogged offensively in the third quarter and that made their deficit--74-56--too large even for a heroic fourth quarter. Fox hounded Stojakovic, Bryant hounded Doug Christie, and O’Neal was too much in the middle, blocked three more shots. He has 10 in two games.

“They’re allowing the strengths of our team to play and that’s fine,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “We do have to have some help when we go on the road. It’s going to be necessary.”

As expected, the Kings rethought their defensive strategy and assigned more than Divac or Pollard to O’Neal. Early on, they brought Christie, Stojakovic or Webber hard from the wings in what the Lakers might loosely describe as a zone. Guards swooped in and flicked at O’Neal’s hands and wrists, with little success. He had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter. Five of the rebounds were on the offensive side. Finally, the Kings seemed to lose their aggressiveness on the double-teams, perhaps wearying under the weight of O’Neal.

The Kings made only four of 21 field-goal attempts in the quarter and the Lakers led, 25-15.

Before the pace slowed, it got frantic, however, and the Lakers lost their rhythm. Seven first-quarter turnovers led to an uneven second quarter, beginning with their worst six minutes of basketball in weeks, perhaps since the April 1 loss to the New York Knicks.

The Lakers missed their first five shots of the second quarter and did not score until their seventh possession. By then, the Kings had scored the first 13 points of the quarter, turning the 10-point deficit into a 28-25 lead.

“We expect them to get out in transition a little more,” Bryant had said. “They have very, very quick hands around the ball and only had six steals [in Game 1]. We can expect them to pick up the intensity on defense to get their offense going a little better.”

The first half was a wash, ending, 43-43, but O’Neal and Bryant led the 31-13 third-quarter surge.

“Shaq,” Stojakovic summed up, “is unstoppable down there.”

THE SERIES

Lakers vs.

Sacramento

Lakers lead series, 2-0

GAME 1

LAKERS: 108

SACRAMENTO: 105

GAME 2

LAKERS: 96

SACRAMENTO: 90

GAME 3--FRIDAY

at Sacramento

7:30 p.m., Channel 9

GAME 4--SUNDAY

at Sacramento

2:30 p.m., Channel 4

GAME 5--TUESDAY

at Lakers, TBA*

Fox Sports Net

GAME 6--MAY 17

at Sacramento, TBA*

Channel 9

GAME 7--MAY 19

at Lakers, TBA*

Channel 4

* if necessary

*

COVERAGE

FORMER IN FUTURE?

The end of Chris Webber’s much-discussed stay in Sacramento could be closer. J.A. Adande’s column. D7

TIME TO GO HOME

It has to get better for the Kings when they leave L.A. It can’t get any worse. Mark Heisler’s column. D7

GAME REPORT: D6

*

INSIDE

DUNLEAVY OUT

Mike Dunleavy was fired as coach of the Trail Blazers, taking the fall after a playoff sweep by Lakers. D8

MILWAUKEE: 91

CHARLOTTE: 90

Ray Allen had 28 points and a career playoff-high nine assists as Bucks took a 2-0 series lead. D8

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Streak

The Lakers’ 13-game win streak (the last five games are playoffs):

April 3 at Utah: 96-88

April 5 at Chicago: 100-88

April 6 at Boston: 100-96

April 8 at Minnesota: 104-99

April 10 Phoenix: 106-80

April 12 Minnesota: 119-102

April 15 Portland: 105-100

April 17 Denver: 108-91

April 22 Portland: 106-93

April 26 Portland: 106-88

April 29 at Portland: 99-86

May 6 Sacramento: 108-105

May 8 Sacrament: 96-90

LONGEST 2000-01 STREAKS

13--Lakers (current)

11--Minnesota

10--Philadelphia, Portland