LAKERS DOMINATE : CLIPPERS CANNOT HANDLE SHAQ, LOSE BY 28 LAKERS 123 CLIPPERS 95.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer Yeah, this was a good old-fashioned Lakers-Clippers game. The previous two Clippers wins weren't flukes. But the difference between then and now is about 7-foot-1, 318 pounds. The Sports Arena fans got a first-hand view at the Lakers with 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). clicking on all cylinders. And the Lakers with the No. 2 seed on the line, sent their counterparts a message with a 123-95 dominating win in front of 16,094. It was the Clippers' worse defeat of the season. The Lakers performance was not the Shaq show as in his previous three appearances. Lakers coach Del Harris had been waiting for the other weapons to kick in. And with O'Neal's help, they did. The Lakers shot a season-high 60 percent and rested their starters after three quarters. Elden Campbell Elden Jerome Campbell (born July 23, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is an American former professional basketball player who played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Campbell played college basketball at Clemson University. scored 11 points in the third quarter, when the Lakers turned a 12-point lead into a 26-point laugher. O'Neal scored just 18 points in three quarters, but his five assists and countless intimidating shots had the playoff-bound Clippers reeling. By the way, O'Neal also hit eight of 12 free throws. The win tied the Lakers with Seattle and Houston for the No. 2 playoff spot. Each has one game to play and Houston owns the edge in case of a tie. The Lakers finish the season Sunday at Portland while the Clippers could help their rivals with a win at Seattle tonight. The Lakers (56-25), who with a win Sunday would clinch at least the No. 3 spot and a likely first-round matchup with Phoenix, badly needed to beat the Clippers. That task has been difficult. With O'Neal out because of a knee injury, the Clippers beat the Lakers twice, including a 97-95 decision at the Forum on March 14. The Clippers took a 15-point lead at halftime and held on late after the Lakers tied it in the fourth quarter. That win over the Lakers brought momentum; the Clippers are 10-10 since then and Rodney Rogers Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971, in Durham, North Carolina) is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Rogers played college basketball at Wake Forest University from 1990 until 1993. has averaged 17 points per game since his 21-point effort that night. However, after every Rogers spin to the hoop Friday, Shaq was there. Rogers scored just 15 points as the Clippers shot 47 percent. Like every other team in the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= , the Clippers were lucky the Lakers were missing Shaq for a long spell, especially since they lack a legitimate center themselves. When the Lakers were without Shaq, the Clippers caused problems. ``With their forwards, they present matchup problems for traditional NBA lineups,'' Lakers coach Del Harris said. ``They have a lot of guys who can do different things. Like I say, there's not such a thing as bad teams, but teams with bad records.'' With Shaq, the Lakers could take more chances. Lorenzen Wright Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright (born November 4 1975) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. After being selected seventh overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1996 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis, the 6'11" (2. , coming off his first NBA suspension for throwing an elbow at Shawn Bradley Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22 1972) is a retired American 7 ft. 6 in. (2.29 m) basketball player who played center for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA). Born in Landstuhl, West Germany, Bradley grew up in Castle Dale, Utah, in the United States and has dual citizenship. , was equally frustrated but less likely to retaliate. And things changed. Shaq altered shots and discouraged others. The Clippers were forced to double-team O'Neal with a guard, leaving open shots for 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 and Eddie Jones. The two combined for 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting. In the past three games, O'Neal has tallied 24, 39 and 42 points, and the team has averaged 107 points per game, seven above the season average. Harris is not worried about over-emphasizing O'Neal in the offense. ``Defense should take care of that,'' Harris said. ``Teams are going to want to spot our No. 1 weapon and that leaves other guys open. We're going to go with Plan B.'' It worked on Friday - O'Neal got his teammates involved with more passing. The Lakers began the game blazing, jumping out to a 28-7 lead. Jones and Van Exel each hit 3-pointers and seven different players scored in the first quarter. The Lakers used Jones, Elden Campbell and Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. to cut to the hoop for Shaq passes. CLIPPERS vs. SEATTLE Tipoff: 7 p.m., Key Arena. TV/Radio: No TV; KGIL-AM (540, 1260), XTRA-AM (1150). Clippers (36-45) update: The Clippers haven't won in Seattle since 1994 and the Sonics have the No. 2 seed riding on this game. L.A. would like to end the season on a positive note heading into the first-round playoff series with Utah. Rodney Rogers averaged 25 points per game in the four games prior to playing the Lakers. Darrick Martin Darrick David Martin (born March 6, 1971 in Denver, Colorado, United States) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Martin has became known as a solid veteran who provided quality minutes as a reserve, maintaining a career free burned Gary Payton
SuperSonics su·per·son·ics n. (used with a sing. verb) The study of phenomena produced by the motion of a body through a medium at velocities greater than that of sound. (56-25) update: The Sonics are just 6-4 in the past 10 games and barely beat lowly Denver on Thursday. Shawn Kemp Shawn T. Kemp (born November 26, 1969, in Elkhart, Indiana) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is widely regarded as one of the best slam dunkers of all-time. has had a lousy season, fighting personal problems and rumors of alcoholism. Kemp vows he'll return to form; Seattle needs his production. Payton, meanwhile, has been leading the team in assists as well as steals. CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes Photo: (Color) Lakers' Robert Horry beats teammate Travis Knight Travis Knight (born September 13 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1st round (29th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. to a first-quarter rebound. Evan Yee / Daily News Box: (1) LAKERS BOX (2) CLIPPERS vs. SEATTLE (See Text) |
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