40 Points Say More Than One Punch

Finally, something we can all agree upon.

Shaquille O’Neal took the Staples Center floor Tuesday accompanied by the first unilateral declaration he has heard in more than a week.

Not all Laker fans were standing, but all of them were cheering.

The message, if not overwhelming, was overwhelmingly clear.

This is where he belongs.

Here, on the floor, in a uniform.

Here, on another Tuesday night in the middle of the January, against another outmanned Denver Nugget team, trying to win another championship.

Here, dunking on an alley-oop pass from Derek Fisher, dunking over Zendon Hamilton, blocking an attempted dunk by James Posey.

Here, not there.

Not in the back of a punch. Not in the middle of a controversy. Not wearing a sign that portrayed a certain columnist as a frog, thereby insulting large segments of the amphibian world.

Not on the sidelines.

Never on the sidelines.

Whether or not you agree that O’Neal should have thrown the punch at the back of the head of the Chicago Bulls’ Brad Miller on Jan. 12, leading to a three-game suspension, surely you agree with this:

The Lakers need him not as a sideshow, but a center.

They suffered a stunning defeat to the Nuggets on Tuesday, a 107-91 loss to a team that had not won a road game in more than two months.

But, for once, nobody was blaming O’Neal.

He led everyone on the floor with 40 points and 11 rebounds. He had five assists and one turnover. He played hard for 39 minutes.

OK, so the evening showed that the Lakers can lose to lousy teams even with their best player. And, indeed, they have previously won games without him.

But, c’mon.

“There’s no question, it’s obvious, everyone knows, he has to be here,� Fisher said.

The statistics from his absence are more revealing.

If you count the Bulls’ game, which the Lakers led by three points with 2:44 remaining when he was ejected, the Lakers were 2-2 while O’Neal sat.

He may have indeed pulled his punch that grazed Miller’s ear. But it was still hard enough to briefly knock the two-time defending champions into a .500 team.

And, who knows, his return may have knocked them into the defensive distraction that led to Tuesday’s loss, in which the 41% shooting Nuggets shot 57%.

“We laid back and watched Shaq perform,� said Coach Phil Jackson, adding, “We didn’t get everyone involved.�

Agreed Lindsey Hunter: “Yeah, we got caught up in it a little bit.�

So it seems obvious, O’Neal needs to behave like a bigger man than his tormenters because the Lakers are bigger than O’Neal.

He loses three games, they can lose a lot more.

Surprisingly, even after Tuesday’s game, O’Neal had yet to indicate to the local media--and by extension, his fans--that he agrees.

“I haven’t got anything nice to say yet, so I’d rather not say anything,� he said before the game, declining the umpteenth reasonable request to provide an explanation.

But then, late in the first quarter, he spoke volumes.

While going for a rebound underneath the Laker basket, he was tackled by the Nuggets’ Raef LaFrentz. While lying on the floor, he didn’t scowl or shout or point. He simply shrugged and climbed to his feet.

Then, showing what will ultimately be his best punch in this constant fight against flagrant fouls, O’Neal stepped to the line and made two free throws.

That’s all it takes, you know. That’s all it will ever take.

Those so quick to applaud O’Neal for a dangerous action are not giving him enough credit for the smarts and skill to figure out a better way to retaliate.

He can make the free throws, as he did Tuesday, six times in nine attempts.

“I think [O’Neal] is going to be the same as he was before,� Jackson said before the game.

“He took a lot of punishment, went to the line, worked it out on the line.�

Or, he can make like Karl Malone and work in a couple of legal licks--elbow, forearm--after a hard foul. He can show teams, as he showed the Nuggets, that beating on him is as productive as beating on a wall.

Whatever, there are alternatives to the dangerous retaliation of Chicago.

On Tuesday night, he seemed to find them, which is good.

“I’m expecting him to be upset,� Hamilton said before the game.

He was wrong.

While it is still important to get O’Neal’s explanation of the incident--particularly for those ticket-holders who blew big bucks on two home games without ever seeing him play--apparently this on-court cool will have to suffice for now.

It is a demeanor that Laker fans should hope to see for the rest of the season.

Because there will be times during these final months that O’Neal will go to the bench for legitimate reasons.

He will need to go there for his feet. He will go there for his stamina.

The team simply cannot afford for him to go there again because of his temper.

O’Neal ended Tuesday’s game with a cleanly executed somersault on the way to a successful free throw.

It looked a lot better than a punch.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected].