Shaq’s Attack Stays at the Rim

It seemed to make about as much sense as stealing a bear’s honey, pulling a pit bull’s tail or stomping on Mike Tyson’s foot.

But when your team has won only 17 games and another victory is slipping away to the Lakers, what do you have to lose?

So Golden State Warrior Danny Fortson did the unthinkable Thursday night at The Arena in Oakland. He attacked Shaquille O’Neal.

Got him in a head lock.

Threw him to the floor.

Challenged him to a fight.

The good news for the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Fortson is that he’s still alive today to talk about it.

And the good news for the Lakers is that the 7-1, 335-pound plus O’Neal took out his anger with a ball to the hoop rather than a fist to the head. After Fortson’s flagrant foul, O’Neal scored seven of the Lakers’ next nine points and 40 in all to lead his team to a 110-102 victory, improving the Lakers to 45-18 and moving them within half a game of the Sacramento Kings, who lost to the New York Knicks Thursday.

The Lakers seemed vulnerable when Robert Horry fouled out with 5:43 to play and the Lakers clinging to an 89-86 lead.

Then Fortson went after O’Neal.

When the Laker center got up, he said to Fortson, “Do you want to go?”

Laker teammates Kobe Bryant and Rick Fox quickly interceded. O’Neal went to the free-throw line and made one of two.

Like a pitcher retaliating for a teammate who has been plunked with a pitch, Fox wrestled Fortson to the floor at the other end, getting his own flagrant foul.

And O’Neal kept expressing himself in the points column as the Warriors kept hacking him. He made four free throws, a thunderous dunk and fouled out Fortson.

And finished off Golden State.

O’Neal wound up making 13 of 20 shots and 14 of 28 from the free-throw line. He also had a game-high 13 rebound. Bryant added 21 points.

“I don’t waste my time with the average high-school players,” said O’Neal of Fortson after the game. “He is too small for me and everyone knows that. Legends don’t retaliate to average high school players, and he is an average high school player.”

Responded Fortson: “He kept telling me he was a legend, so I told him that I wanted to be famous. I want to get noticed just like he is. That’s basically how we got into it, but it was out on the court. Nothing personal. The referee saved [him], probably from embarrassment.... I can play the Lakers again every night.”

For the Warriors, Antawn Jamison and Jason Richardson tied for the team high with 23 points apiece. Jamison also had 12 rebounds.

It can’t be easy being the Warriors.

On Thursday night, they had to contend with NCAA regional games just down the road in Sacramento. There was barely a mention of the Laker-Warrior game in local sports sections Thursday, surprising since the Lakers seem to bring their own spotlight with them wherever they go.

It’s not as if the Warriors are completely devoid of hope. With the scoring punch of Jamison, the skill level of Richardson and the board strength of Fortson, Golden State has potential.

But people around here are tired of hearing about Warrior potential. They’ve been hearing about that since Rick Barry was running up and down the court.

Potential met reality Thursday night.

After toying with the Warriors early and leading Golden State by only three after one quarter, 25-22, the Lakers, led by its dominating duo of O’Neal and Bryant, surged into a 12-point advantage in the second period and finished the half with a seemingly comfortable lead at 50-41.

O’Neal had a game-high 17 points for the first 24 minutes, followed closely by Bryant’s 13.

When the Lakers came out for the start of the second half, it appeared they had left their passion in the locker room. Golden State went on an 8-2 run to pull within three.

And late in the period, they finally pulled ahead when Bob Sura made two free throws, after O’Neal had missed a pair at the other end, to move Golden State ahead, 71-70.

The in-bounds pass, from Mark Madsen to Bryant, was knocked loose by Richardson, who fed Sura. Fouled, Sura was successful on both attempts, giving Golden State a three-point advantage, its biggest of the night.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The Big Picture

(text of infobox not included)