| 21 November 2008
Wow. Just wow.
I'll pre-empt the following with an acknowledgment that Shaquille O'Neal is playing the best basketball he's played for - quite literally - years. He hasn't consistently put up numbers that he's putting up now since he left LA.
And now, he says he'd go back to LA. He'd finish his career there, if he had the chance. Oh yeah, and now apparently it was Phil Jackson's fault that he didn't get along with Kobe.
The sooner that Shaq takes ownership for at least being partly to blame for the way he departed LA, the better.
It was Kobe's fault.
It was Jerry Buss's fault.
It is Phil Jackson's fault.
How about it being (at least partly) Shaquille O'Neal's fault?
Anyway - sidetracked there! But if the above doesn't provide some motivation for the Lakers, nothing will.
LA rides into town the only team that's unbeaten on the road thus far this season, and I don't see any reason for it to change in Phoenix. The Suns are a good unit, but still getting used to the new coach Terry Porter - a vast move away from the 7 seconds run under Mike D'Antoni. There have been a few hiccups thus far, and as a result Phoenix are only 3-2 at home. Porter's system seems to favour O'Neal - he's playing the best basketball since the '03-04 season (his last in LA).
O'Neal will have his hands full on Thursday tho' - two aggressive 7 footers in Gasol and Bynum. And let's not forget that there's really no resting against LA, who are running a combination of Gasol/Bynum/Odom - with 2 of them on the floor at pretty much all times. For Phoenix to have any sort of a chance, Amare Stoudemire will have to bring his defensive 'A' game, and then some (Amare's not exactly well-known for his defensive prowess).The match-up between O'Neal and Bynum will be most interesting, as both have something to prove. Bynum, matching up on the guy who declares himself to be the best ever, and may well be. O'Neal on the young guy who replaced him at LA. LA the team he said he'd like to finish his career at.
And Phil... I place money on a wry grin on his face when the game kicks off on Thursday.
LA by 8.
