O’Neal Back in Plenty of Time

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shaquille O’Neal notified the Lakers on Tuesday morning that he’d be back with the team by, oh, 9 o’clock that night. Something about the plane, mechanical difficulties, and he’d do what he could trying to get back from South Carolina, according to the word that reached several players.

Game 2 started at 8:30 p.m. Central time.

So, there was something approaching relief on the team bus when at 6:45 p.m. O’Neal boarded, the joke his, having arrived here at about 1:30 p.m., with nothing more complicated than catching a nap before the game.

Before the game, the details of O’Neal’s day away from the team remained vague. He left the club Monday morning to attend the wake for his grandfather, Sirlester O’Neal, on Monday. He did not attend the funeral and was back with the club Tuesday.

Coach Phil Jackson saw O’Neal for the first time in the trainer’s room about 90 minutes before the game, filled in O’Neal on a few things they worked on in Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s shoot-around.

Rick Fox, who also saw O’Neal in the trainer’s room, said O’Neal “seemed all right. I think he’s all right.”

Said Jackson: “He’s ready to play. Ready to play. Somber. But he’s ready.”

O’Neal didn’t talk to reporters before or after the game.

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Those who know Jackson say he changes his facial hair to keep the television cameras honest -- he hates old footage used to describe new events -- but Jackson said Tuesday he was gearing up for the postseason.

“It’s one of those things you do when you get into a battle,” Jackson said, grinning. “You get into this extended kind of playoff, hopefully, you want to be prepared. This is part of my image this year.”

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