LAKERS NOTEBOOK: WITH FIVE-GAME ROAD TRIP BEGINNING, SHAQ'S BAGS LEFT UNPACKED.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer The Lakers See Lake poets fly to Minnesota today to begin a five-game, seven-day trip, and their largest carry-on, 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). , will be left in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . O'Neal continues to make progress in his recovery from a strained abdominal muscle abdominal muscle Any of the muscles of the front and side walls of the abdominal cavity. Three flat layers—the external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis muscles—extend from each side of the spine between the lower ribs and the hipbone. - he's practiced for three days on his own without pain - but he has no idea whether he'll be able to rejoin re·join 1 v. re·joined, re·join·ing, re·joins v.tr. To say in reply, especially in sharp response to a reply. v.intr. To reply. the team on this trip. ``I don't ask anymore,'' he said, admitting some frustration at not knowing when he'll be cleared. ``It's like being on punishment,'' O'Neal said, ``and you go say, `Daddy, I've been good, I got all `A's,' can I go outside now?' And Daddy says, `No, you can't go outside.' So you wait for another week. `Daddy, can I go outside?' `No, you can't go outside.' '' Dr. Stephen Lombardo - Daddy, as far as Shaq's stomach muscle is concerned - will reevaluate the Lakers center later this week, but O'Neal feels he could play right now. He says the injury isn't bothering him, but that he's not quite in game shape. The timing and rhythm are there, he said, but ``I need to get my wind up.'' ``I could still come off the bench and get 30,'' he quipped. Coach Del Harris said O'Neal ``looked very good'' during Sunday's workouts. ``He was very active. He got up a good lather.'' Rocky road: Although they ended their season-worst three-game losing streak Friday night, the Lakers are still carrying a two-game losing streak on the road as they head into this trip. Other statistical trends make the trip appear even more imposing. As of Sunday, the five teams they'll face had a combined winning percentage of .621 (64-39). Two of the teams, Atlanta and Houston, lead their divisions. And the Lakers were a combined 2-5 playing in these five cities last season. The Lakers have not lost three consecutive road games since 1995-96. He made his point: Kobe Bryant's career-high 27-point outburst Friday night came in a 12-minute, 47-second span in the third and fourth quarters, but it was well short of two Lakers records for fast-and-furious scoring. His 18 points in the fourth were six shy of the one-quarter scoring record, held by Jerry West
ON THE ROAD AGAIN Tuesday at Minnesota (x) 6 p.m. Wednesday at Chicago 5 p.m. Friday at Atlanta (x) 6 p.m. Saturday at Charlotte 5 p.m. Monday at Houston 5:30 p.m. All games on KCAL kcal kilocalorie. kcal abbr. kilocalorie kcal kilocalorie. 9 (x) TV tape-delayed one hour CAPTION(S): Box BOX: ON THE ROAD AGAIN (see text) |
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