Shaq gives Ervin Johnson a taste of leather while
finishing off a slam dunk at the Special Events Arena.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Shaq gives Ervin Johnson a taste of leather while
finishing off a slam dunk at the Special Events Arena.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
"It was a special moment for all of us with the Lakers," said the Los Angeles Lakers vice president, flashing a $120 million smile - the price they paid for Shaquille O'Neal.
"The guy is a dominant player and he is going to do things that will surprise people," West added. "He is a unique talent and has a wonderful way with his teammates."
Yes, Shaq stole the show as the Lakers knocked off the Denver Nuggets, 111-101, in front of 10,225 fans at the Special Events Arena last night.
Actually, it was a Shaq concert, with a basketball game as an added attraction. He scored 25 points in 26 minutes, hitting 11 of 13 shots from the floor.
Shaq also grabbed 12 rebounds and even knocked in 3 of 5 free-throw attempts.
In one second-quarter sequence, O'Neal scored six points in less than a minute, with a rebound and a blocked shot in between.
Several thunder dunks that could have caused tsunami warnings fired the crowd up even more.
Before, during and after the game, Shaq fans of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes shouted their love for the personable giant.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him in the games more, because the games always bring out the best in the great players," Lakers coach Del Harris said. "Anybody here tonight who thinks that Shaquille O'Neal is just some tall guy who plays basketball got an education because he is so athletic and quick on his feet.
"And he is great with his hands. He has wonderful hands. He can catch and pass. He put on a nice performance tonight. He really helped us. He'll get on the floor after loose balls. He's well worth coming to see - he's a terrific player."
In the Lakers locker room, Shaq proclaimed his greatness - but not as a basketball player.
"No one can out-surf me," he said of his ocean prowess. "I am the Big Kahuna!"
On a serious note, Shaq credited his teammates.
"I just wanted to come out and play hard - and we all did," he said. "We have a lot of weapons on this team and on any given night any one of our players can take over."
"We rebounded the ball, passed well and talked to each other on defense. If we can do that, play as a team, we should be OK. We played Lakers' style of basketball, which is fast-break."
Oh yeah. The other players.
Eddie Jones scored 14 points, while Byron Scott and Cedric Ceballos scored 12 points each for the Lakers.
Denver was led by LaPhonso Ellis with 20 points. Dale Ellis added 14, with Sarunas Marciulionis and Ricky Pierce scoring 12 each.
The Lakers were held to 19 points in the first quarter, but exploded for 40 in the second quarter to take a 59-53 lead at the half.
The same teams square off again at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Special Events Arena.
Los Angeles 111, Denver 101
Nuggets (0-1)fg fga ft fta pts reb a to mp Jennings 1 3 6 7 8 3 7 2 16 D.Ellis 6 12 0 0 14 1 0 0 22 McInnis 1 4 0 1 2 0 2 2 12 Marciulionis 3 6 6 8 12 1 0 0 17 Jackson 0 1 1 2 1 1 9 3 23 Murdock 1 3 2 2 4 0 1 0 6 L.Ellis 6 12 7 9 20 5 1 5 25 Hammonds 0 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 11 Pierce 3 10 6 6 12 3 0 0 16 Stith 4 9 0 0 8 1 0 1 23 Ham 2 4 0 0 4 1 0 1 13 Johnson 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 1 24 Slater 4 8 0 0 8 6 0 1 8 Mundt 1 2 0 0 2 4 0 0 10 Stokes 0 5 4 4 4 6 1 0 14 Team 11 =================================================================================== Totals 32 83 34 41 101 48 23 18 240
Lakers (1-0)fg fga ft fta pts reb a to mp Fisher 3 4 0 0 6 1 1 2 19 Scott 5 7 2 2 12 0 0 2 16 Hawkins 1 2 0 0 2 1 1 2 0+ Jones 5 11 2 2 14 1 1 0 26 Van Exel 3 8 0 0 7 1 8 1 23 Kersey 1 2 0 0 2 3 2 0 16 Robinson 1 2 1 4 3 2 6 0 12 Ceballos 5 6 2 4 12 3 1 3 21 Wilson 1 3 0 0 2 5 0 1 8 Booth 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 O’Neal 11 13 3 5 25 12 2 6 26 Knight 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 Campbell 3 4 2 2 8 5 2 3 23 Blount 3 5 0 0 6 3 6 2 21 Rooks 4 6 2 4 10 2 1 0 20 Team 7 1 =================================================================================== Totals 47 75 14 23 111 47 31 23 240Halftime score - L.A. Lakers 59, Denver 53.
3-point goals-Denver 3-11 (D. Ellis 2-5, L. Ellis 1-2, McInnis 0-2, Pierce 0-2), L.A. Lakers 3-10 (Jones 2-5, Van Exel 1-4, Scott 0-1). Steals-Denver 12 (Stith 3), L.A. Lakers 9 (O'Neal 3). Total fouls-Denver 24, L.A. Lakers 36. Blocked shots-Denver 1 (Stokes 1) UH 8 (Campbell 4). Officials: Delaney, Jones, Corbin. A-10,225.