Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Angry Shaq ready for two games at home
The Associated Press
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Shaquille O'Neal is angry, looking healthier than he has in weeks and ready to play the next two games at home. That might not bode well for the Sacramento Kings.
After a split in Sacramento, the Lakers return to Staples Center on Friday and Sunday for Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
O'Neal has been ailing with an arthritic right big toe, a cut on his right index finger that required stitches and a sprained left ankle. But now he is moving better and his shooting touch has improved.
Also on the mend is Kobe Bryant. He was hit with food poisoning after eating a bacon cheeseburger at his hotel, hampering his play in Game 2. He was upbeat on the flight home.
“That's basically a message a captain should give his teammates,” said coach Phil Jackson, whose team took the day off Tuesday.
O'Neal was scoring at will Monday night at Arco Arena when he picked up his third foul for charging into Vlade Divac with 4:49 left in the second quarter. O'Neal sat out the rest of the half and wasn't the same as Los Angeles lost 96-90.
O'Neal was clearly upset with the officiating, and he received support from his coach a day later.
“We had a player on his way to a 50-point game, which he's very capable of getting, and he's completely taken out of his game,” Jackson said. “The rules get changed or requalified because of him. That's no excuse.”
O'Neal shot 11-of-15 for 23 points before picking up his third foul. He shot 4-of-12 for 12 points in the second half.
“I'm sure we're going to see a stronger (officiating) crew in LA, where the noise and the pressure in our building are so much more intense than in Sacramento,” Jackson cracked.
Arco is far louder than Staples, or just about anywhere else. In fact, Jackson last week compared the Lakers' home court to a church.
Jackson didn't blame everything on the officiating, calling his team's 3-point shooting “pathetic.”
The Lakers shot 6-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half of Saturday's 106-99 victory, but missed all eight second-half attempts, and were 3-of-19 in Game 2.
“The Kings didn't play us out there and they survived it,” Jackson said. “I don't know whether that will work Friday night or not. Three-point shooting comes and goes. It's certainly not something a team can live by.”
O'Neal seems to play better when he feels wronged, and he is usually more dominant at Staples Center.
Last year, in two wins over the Kings in the conference semifinals, he had 44 points and 21 rebounds in one game and 43 points and 20 rebounds in the other.
The Lakers have won 24 of their last 27 playoff games, 15 of their last 17 postseason games at Staples Center and 19 of 20 home games over the last three months.
But the Kings have been equally impressive on the road, winning 16 of their last 18 road, including four without a loss in the playoffs.
“I don't think that there's ever been a doubt that we can win anywhere we play,” Kings coach Rick Adelman said in Sacramento, where his team also took the day off. “Unfortunately, the Lakers are a team that's been the best team in the league the past two years. However, we feel that we can win this.
“We also understand that we have to play better than we did in the first two series if we're going to win down there.”
Adelman said his team must be sharper on offense.
“We have to zero in on some areas where we can hurt them,” he said. “If we do that, we can be more consistent offensively. There are areas where we can hurt them and make it tough for them to defend us.”
Adelman doesn't know when forward Peja Stojakovic will return. Stojakovic, the team's second-leading scorer with a 21.2-point average, sprained his ankle in the conference semifinals against Dallas.
“Right now, there are no plans that he is going to play in the near future,” Adelman said. “We'll just have to wait and see how he progresses each day.”
Sports Stories
Griffey expected to play this weekend
Reds 6, Marlins 1
Reds Box, Runs
Hamilton should return today
Reds Notebook:
Wildness dooms Marlins starter
Cardinals 3, Astros 1
Diamondbacks 9, Giants 4
Rockies 7, Padres 6
Angels 5, Royals 1
Devil Rays 1, Mariners 0
Orioles 6, Athletics 4
Scott no-show for Bengals' workout
TE Brewer finally back in action
Reluctant Bengal expected today
Cincinnati High School Highlights
Cincinnati High School Results
N.Ky. High School Results
Today's High School Schedule
Angry Shaq ready for two games at home 
