Shoulder Is Sore Spot for O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal has a sore right shoulder that at times hampers him during games, particularly on his shot, but is not serious enough to limit his play or warrant postseason medical attention.

The ailment became more acute during the Western Conference finals, in which the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves played six games in 11 days. Also, the Timberwolves were concerted in their effort to keep O’Neal from easy baskets, a strategy that often led to hard fouls on O’Neal’s shooting arm.

O’Neal refused to answer questions about his shoulder Saturday, other than to confirm he receives treatment every day and that he originally injured the shoulder five years ago practicing against A.C. Green.

In recent years, O’Neal has suffered from nagging injuries to his lower body and, indeed, sat out 14 games because of a strained calf this season. He finished last season with a sore knee, one of the injuries the Lakers believed led to their playoff elimination.

Through 17 playoff games, O’Neal is shooting 57.8% from the floor. He shot 58.4% during the regular season.

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Gary Payton said he’d meant no harm in Friday’s practice-long rant, much of it directed at Kobe Bryant, all of it, he said, designed to increase everybody’s Finals awareness.

Or, maybe, as one teammate put it, “I thought GP had lost it.”

Either way, Payton laughed about it Saturday after the Lakers’ final practice before facing the Detroit Pistons.

“I was just having a little fun,” he said. “Then everybody was like, ‘Hey, this sounds like the old GP. He’s back.’ I just thought it was time.

“We needed to get serious and right after that we had a good practice. I got everybody fired up, and I got Kobe playing harder.”

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The moment of the day, during Bryant’s news conference:

Question: “Shaq, the experts say ... “

Bryant: “Did you call me Shaq?”

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Among the Laker subplots, and they lug around plenty, is Phil Jackson’s attempt to win his 10th coaching championship and surpass legendary Boston Celtic Coach Red Auerbach.

Thirteen years ago, Rick Fox was Auerbach’s first-round draft pick. He played six years in Boston before the Celtics let him go, a period that gives him a unique perspective and, it appears, a rooting interest.

“I think the fact that Phil was a Knick and now is a Laker, the two franchises that have been the biggest rivalries for the Celtics, and Red representing everything that is Celtic ... I think it may ring closer to him,” Fox said of Auerbach.

While Fox liked Auerbach, particularly because Auerbach defended the Fox pick on draft day, the two have not spoken in seven years.

“The last conversation I had with Red was after I was renounced and he told me to please come back and wait the 90 days and still remain a Celtic. That was it,” he said. “I really at that point felt betrayed by the whole organization after being captain of the team, being told that I was to go forward as the future of the Celtics. It didn’t go that way.”