Minnesota Needs to Discover Some Way to Stop O’Neal

With a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series against Minnesota, the Lakers will be looking for their 13th consecutive close-out playoff victory tonight and, based on their recent success against the Timberwolves, chances are the streak will continue at the Target Center.

Of the last 11 playoff series the Lakers have won, six have ended with victories on the road, with their last win coming at New Jersey for the NBA championship in 2002. That’s bad news for Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves, who have proved to be competitive but not at the same level as the Lakers.

Although Kobe Bryant has been a scoring machine and the Laker role players have played well, the difference between the teams has been Shaquille O’Neal. The Timberwolves don’t have an answer for him, and if O’Neal plays the way he did in Games 3 and 4, things could get ugly.

Timberwolves’ move -- Coach Flip Saunders can only hope that injured point guard Sam Cassell is capable of playing an entire game, something he has yet to do in the series. Without Cassell’s floor leadership and ability to break down a defense, the Timberwolves have been playing short-handed.

Even with sixth man Wally Szczerbiak having a big scoring series, Minnesota has gone through stretches where points have been difficult to get. That’s because the Timberwolves have not had a balanced attack. They have two starters -- Ervin Johnson and Trent Hassell -- who have accounted for only 33 points in four games.

NBA coaches hate to make big changes in the middle of a series, but Saunders may be forced into a drastic move tonight if Cassell can’t play or is ineffective. By copying a tactic often used by Dallas Coach Don Nelson, Saunders could go small-ball with Garnett at center, seldom-used Gary Trent at power forward and Latrell Sprewell, Fred Hoiberg and Szczerbiak filling out the rest of the lineup.

This would give the Timberwolves five scorers while also altering the pace of the series, which isn’t a bad idea.

Lakers’ move -- The biggest difference between O’Neal’s game now compared to the regular season has been his rebounding. He has been unstoppable going for rebounds, grabbing nearly 18 per game after averaging 11.5 during the season. On the offensive end, O’Neal has really done damage, pulling down almost six a game after averaging less than four in the regular season.

Karl Malone struggled with his offensive game the last two games, making only nine of 30 field-goal attempts with six turnovers. But the veteran power forward continues to do the little things to help the Lakers win. In Games 3 and 4, Malone not only defended Garnett but he also grabbed 17 rebounds and had 14 assists.

That’s the type of unselfish effort behind the Lakers’ recent play that has carried them to seven victories in their last eight games. With Malone and point guard Gary Payton leading the way because of their willingness to sacrifice their offensive games, the Lakers have been a passing machine. Fifty-four of their last 68 field goals made came off assists, with Malone and Payton combining for 29. If the Lakers share the basketball again tonight, the Timberwolves will not play again until the fall.

Something to look for -- During the regular season, the Timberwolves were a solid team at home with a 31-10 record and the reason behind their success was their fans, who should be more than ready to create a wild atmosphere for Game 5.

Knowing that the best way to beat the Lakers is to jump on them early, expect the Timberwolves to come out firing tonight with Garnett and Sprewell. In Game 2, Minnesota played with intensity from the start, controlled the pace and won. That has to happen again tonight in order for the Timberwolves to have a chance.