DIVAC ONLY TAKES HORNETS SO FAR : LAKERS 101, CHARLOTTE 97.Byline: Marc Stein Marc Stein is a sports reporter. He began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 to serve as the site's senior National Basketball Association writer. Daily News Staff Writer He was wearing purple on a gold-trimmed floor. He was also wearing the Lakers out. Twenty-two points, 12 rebounds, a nice ovation - Vlade Divac Vlade Divac (Serbian Cyrillic: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ˈvlaːdɛ ˈdiːvaʦ] was pretty much a homecoming king Wednesday night. You could almost call it a complete game. Almost. When Divac charged over Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. with 6.5 seconds to play, his evening - and the Charlotte Hornets' rally - was finished. Divac's sixth foul allowed the Lakers to retain possession, tack on two Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during free throws and escape with a 101-97 victory over their old, bearded friend. In his first Forum appearance as a visitor, before a crowd of 16,980, Divac's desire was to outplay out·play tr.v. out·played, out·play·ing, out·plays To surpass (an opponent) in skill or technique or in scoring points. Verb 1. Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). , the monster in the middle who prompted the Lakers to move the Serbian center to Charlotte after a seven-year association. The numbers were comparable - O'Neal countered with 23 points and 16 rebounds - everywhere but the scoreboard. ``I had a dream,'' Divac said. ``It didn't come true. ``Now you're not talking with Vlade, you're talking with Vlade's ego. My ego would like me to go out there and be the best player on the court. Sometimes, it's going different.'' In the opener of the longest Lakers homestand in 18 years, it appeared that momentum was headed Divac's way down the stretch. L.A. (26-10) built a 91-73 lead and then went scoreless for the next five minutes, while the Hornets (18-15) reeled off 15 straight points. Divac's only miss in eight attempts from the free-throw line free-throw line n. See foul line. , with the Hornets down 95-90, appeared costly, but another Lakers alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. , Tony Smith, had a chance to tie it with 15.3 seconds remaining when fouled by Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. on a left-handed layup. Smith, though, wasted Bryant's rookie mistake by missing his free throw. O'Neal, playing on two sore ankles, made 1 of 2 at the line to make it 99-97, and Divac sealed the win for the home team - the wrong team - when he plowed over Fisher. Not that the Lakers planned to apologize. After an embarrassing loss in Charlotte in November, they weren't about to grieve for Divac's misfortune or the Hornets' injured trio of Muggsy Bogues, Scott Burrell and Matt Geiger - Geiger having burned O'Neal for 22 points the last time. ``We'd just as soon Geiger be here and Glen Rice (27 points) not,'' Lakers coach Del Harris said. ``(Geiger) made four 3s that night and two since.'' To give Divac the proper rest for his big night, the Hornets are allowing Divac to sleep at home throughout their three-day stay in L.A. while the rest of the club is ensconced en·sconce tr.v. en·sconced, en·sconc·ing, en·sconc·es 1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair. 2. at a hotel. So what happened? Driving to the game on his own from Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). , Divac showed up almost 20 minutes later than the team bus. ``Traffic,'' he joked. ``I'm not used to it.'' From shootaround to tipoff, it was a strange day for Divac. Accustomed to jetting in and out of the Forum on the morning of a game, he lingered long after the Hornets' walkthrough, visiting old friends in the Lakers' front office and checking around the building to make sure ``everything is in the same place.'' Several hours later, after an afternoon with sons Luka and Matia, he had to find the visitors' locker room, which proved another adventure. As a gag, one L.A. staffer directed him toward the Laker Girls' dressing quarters. ``It's nice to be home,'' Divac said. ``I'm happy. It's a totally different feeling than the first game. Now I feel more like a Hornet hornet: see wasp. .'' ``I'm nervous already. But it's going to be much better. I can focus on playing basketball. That first game, I was lost.'' There was little doubt that Divac would play better than he did in the teams' Nov. 6 meeting, when he failed to score and managed only four rebounds in 17 minutes of Charlotte's 88-78 win. Here, he blocked an Eddie Jones drive after just 73 seconds and had 11 points - including a 3-pointer - by halftime. And while didn't get another victory to take back to Tobacco Road, Divac did receivNe a warm ovation during introductions after fretting over the fan response. ``Hopefully it'll be nice,'' he said beforehand. ``People are unpredictable.'' Besides the enigmatic Elden Campbell, who would know better? CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal slams home two of his 26 points against Charlotte guard Anthony Mason. Phil McCarten / Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion