Best defense against Shaq might be Indiana's offense
LOS ANGELES -- Rik Smits wasn't afraid to say what all of the Indiana Pacers must be thinking.
''I'd much prefer to play against Portland,'' Smits said. ''Not that the Trail Blazers aren't a great team, but it would make my job a lot easier.''
Smits' job, which he shares with all his teammates, is stopping Shaquille O'Neal. With his mix of size, speed and strength, the Los Angeles Lakers' MVP center shreds most conventional defensive schemes and generally makes players like Smits wonder why they took up basketball in the first place.
In the NBA Finals, beginning tonight at Staples Center, the Pacers undertake the task at which the entire league failed this season. Most recently, the Blazers tried everything from pre-emptive fouls to constant, oppressive double-teams in an effort to slow Shaq. They still lost the Western Conference finals in seven games.
NBA Finals
(Best-of-7)
Wednesday, June 7
Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m.
Friday, June 9
Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 11
L.A. Lakers at Indiana, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 14
L.A. Lakers at Indiana, 8 p.m.
Friday, June 16
L.A. Lakers at Indiana, 8 p.m., if necessary
Monday, June 19
Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., if necessary
Wednesday, June 21
Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m., if necessary
To hear the Pacers, the series sometimes seems like a matchup of Goliath vs. 12 Davids. Such is the truly massive presence O'Neal has taken on during this season, when he finally acquired a quality supporting cast and led Los Angeles to the league's best record.
''You know Shaq is going to get his points no matter what you do, because he's the MVP,'' Indiana guard Jalen Rose said. ''The key to the series is going to be our team defense. When Shaq gets the ball down low and he's looking to pass it out, we have to prevent people from getting open shots. That's all you can really do.''
If that's the case, the series could depend on which team's outside shooters perform better. Los Angeles assistant coach Tex Winter noted that without Shaq, the series is essentially a matchup of two jump-shooting teams who prefer the perimeter game to post play.
And therein might lie Indiana's key to success. Nobody gives the Pacers any chance to stop O'Neal, but Indiana is a team capable of outscoring anyone.
With the right mix of an aggressive offense, judicious fouls on O'Neal and strong defense against his Lakers teammates, the Pacers think they'll have a shot at outshooting Los Angeles.
''People don't remember we're a pretty good team on offense,'' point guard Mark Jackson said. ''I didn't get all those assists this year by throwing the ball in the stands. We hit our shots, and we think we can shoot with anybody.''
Reggie Miller, Indiana's sharpshooting veteran guard chasing what might be his last chance at a title, will be particularly important. Miller made his reputation on frenetic playoff performances, and the Pacers' Eastern Conference playoff opponents found out he can still unleash a barrage of jumpers as well as anyone in the game.
''We hope they overlook us,'' said Miller, who led Indiana to its first NBA Finals by burying the New York Knicks under a wave of 3-pointers in the conference finals.
''We're not coming here to lay down. We're coming in here to shock the world.''
The Pacers' roster of shooters also includes Rose, who complements his slashing drives to the basket with jumpers; Travis Best and Jackson, who can both hit from outside; and big men Smits, Austin Croshere and Sam Perkins, all accomplished outside shooters from varying distances.
''You don't get to this point by being a one- or two-man team,'' Rose said. ''You need a whole bunch of guys with the same kind of focus. We can all contribute offensively, right down the roster. Not many teams can match that.''
During the Pacers' best stretches of the regular season, they killed their opponents with dozens of open shots in assistant coach Rick Carlisle's jump-shot-friendly offense. Such marksmanship will be necessary for Indiana to surprise the Lakers.
''They have a lot of weapons on their team. They have a lot of great shooters,'' O'Neal said. ''Reggie's not the type of guy that you really could stop. He's real aggressive.''
While Indiana has been tested in nearly a decade of playoff appearances, the Lakers are essentially making their first run with this particular cast wearing purple and gold. If teamwork is as important as Bird claims, the Pacers have another edge.
The Lakers' roster is a mishmash of judicious drafts, trades and free-agent signings. The Lakers don't have the years of experience together most teams need before advancing to the finals.
A.C. Green is the only player on the roster with more than four years of L.A. experience, and Green had been away for six seasons before returning last fall. He is the only link to the past glories of Magic and Kareem, but he doesn't give them much relevance to the task facing the Lakers now.
''It doesn't seem like very long since I was in the finals with this organization, but it really has been,'' said Green, who was on the last Los Angeles team to get this far, in 1991. ''This is a whole different show now. The game is different.''