Lakers, Shaq Run Ragged

A glaring bodyguard at his side, Shaquille O’Neal peered down upon reporters who sought his view of the ejection that left the Lakers without him on Monday night, and therefore with another defeat, and he said, “Get out of my ... face. Don’t ask me nothin’.”

The sentiment carried the evening for the Lakers, who fully believed referee Bob Delaney carried the victory for the Utah Jazz, by 88-83 at Delta Center.

O’Neal was ejected with 3:57 remaining, when for the second time in 74 seconds Delaney determined O’Neal was excessively violent in the vicinity of Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko’s head, both times on the Lakers’ offensive end.

Ahead by four points when O’Neal stalked from the floor, the Lakers lost their lead in a little more than a minute and were down by seven points three minutes later.

So, not two weeks after referee Michael Henderson appeared to hand them victory in Denver, the Lakers assumed the part of the victim, all of them quite sure Delaney has had it out for O’Neal for years.

“It takes a prejudiced person to see it,” Phil Jackson said. “And Delaney is prejudiced against Shaq.”

The statement probably will come under consideration by the NBA, a few weeks ago called “vindictive” and “childish” by Jackson when O’Neal was suspended a game for cursing into a live microphone. Jackson probably will be fined.

Playing without Kobe Bryant (sprained shoulder), Horace Grant (sore hip), Karl Malone (torn MCL) and Slava Medvedenko (ill), and with Devean George (knee, ankle) and Gary Payton (shoulder) playing in pain, the Lakers went to the final minutes ahead, despite a rash of turnovers and open misses. In Malone’s first visit to the Delta Center since he left for Los Angeles and a better chance at a championship, the Lakers played with little poise, however, and less dexterity.

Malone wore black, sat at the end of the bench and sparred with fans who held up nasty signs about his chasing a ring, and in the meantime the Lakers scored their fewest points in a month, got to the verge of a win anyway, and instead lost for the third time in 13 games since the All-Star break.

After shooting 40.3% from the floor and 67.7% from the free-throw line, committing 19 turnovers and allowing the Jazz 31 fourth-quarter points, the Lakers placed the blame for their loss squarely on the head of Delaney.

Two years ago, he ejected O’Neal in the first quarter of a game in Seattle. Three years ago, he ejected Jackson from a playoff game in San Antonio.

Then, with the Lakers beginning to take control of a game that had eluded them since a 10-point first-quarter lead, O’Neal struck Kirilenko near the neck while being fouled at the basket with 5:11 to play. First technical.

And, with 3:57 left, O’Neal gathered a loose ball, turned and dunked. As he finished, his right elbow came down hard on Kirilenko’s head, and Delaney bolted from the baseline.

“Technical foul!” Delaney shouted. “You’re out of here!”

So the Lakers are convinced, apparently, that Delaney has issues with O’Neal, or the Lakers, or something. Already having spent the first 3 1/2 quarters in foul trouble, O’Neal left with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. He had appeared to be gaining momentum, and instead he’d left Payton on his own again.

By then, the Lakers were down too many players, and finished with Luke Walton, Derek Fisher, Brian Cook, Kareem Rush and Payton on the floor.

“You guys were probably the beneficiaries of watching that replay on Shaquille,” Jackson said. “I’m not. So I would have to hold my tongue to not say that was a prejudiced call. Bob Delaney is known to be very prejudiced against Shaquille. We know that. So we wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t a good call. But I’m not going to make a comment on that right now.

“I told the guys, we’ve seen it time and time again here in Salt Lake, that those kinds of games happen. They let them get on top of your players, be physical, and we have situations like this that happen, where the crowd gets involved and the referees don’t know how to handle it.

“[The Jazz’s] energy was good. We have to give some credit to them. Their bench was great.... We just feel it wasn’t fair and square. It felt like we were going against eight people instead of five.”

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After O’Neal Exit

The Lakers led, 72-68, when Shaquille O’Neal was assessed his second technical foul and ejected with 3:57 remaining. The Lakers missed their next five shots and the Jazz scored the next 11 points. What else happened after O’Neal’s ejection:

*--* Lakers Jazz Field goals 4-10 2-3 Free throws 3-3 16-17 Rebounds 4 3

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