Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes: It's going on six years now.
He's been there longer than he was here.
"Until we win a championship, there absolutely will always be the 'How could you lose Shaq' syndrome around here," Magic Coach Doc River acknowledged Wednesday, just a few hours before Shaq's Lakers dismantled his Magic 111-93. "People will always throw that in our face."
In the years since he left, the emotions have changed. Orlando has gone from defiance (we will show him), to anger (we will boo him), to sadness (we will mourn him).
When he was introduced Wednesday, there were nearly as many cheers as jeers. After leading the Lakers to back-to-back championships, Shaq's return here now is more torture than treason.
This is like seeing an old girlfriend six years later -- and she is more beautiful than ever and married to Freddie Prinze Jr.
As he trotted off the court, a fan held up a sign that said, "Lakers Tear Down The House That Shaq Built."
They don't hate Shaq around here anymore.
They just miss him. Much like Toronto misses Tracy McGrady.
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With the New York Knicks struggling and possibly in the hunt for a new head coach this summer it was inevitable that Doc Rivers' name would eventually surface in rumors.
But while Rivers, a former Knicks player, has a distinct affinity for New York and the Knicks' franchise, he said he has no plans of leaving the Orlando Magic any time soon.
"I'm a Magic coach and I'm going to stay a Magic coach," Rivers said. "That's not going to change. I'm going to stay here."
Jeff Van Gundy resigned as New York's head coach on Dec. 10 and the Knicks have gone just 7-16 since then under Don Chaney, who was promoted from within. Despite having the NBA's highest payroll, New York lost eight games in a row at one point, including a 43-point home drubbing to Charlotte. But since then, New York has won four games in a row.
Rivers played for the Knicks from 1992-95, the period during his 13-year playing career that he calls his favorite. Rivers won the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2000 after leading a starless Magic team to a 41-41 record. He was influential in the Magic landing free-agents Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill in August of 2000, and he has the Magic in the playoff race again this season despite another season-ending injury to Hill.
Rivers is under contract with the Magic through the 2004-05 season and has an option for the 2005-06 season.He originally signed a four-year, $8 million contract with the Magic in 1999, but inked a two-year, $16 million extension last spring that boosted his pay to an average of $5 million a season.
"I loved the Knicks and I still think it's still the single-best place I played as a player," Rivers said. "I love New York, I love the fans there and I love the city. But I love where I'm at more. I love a lot of things about where I'm at so I'm going to stay here."
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Shaq impact: Rivers is the first to admit that Shaquille O'Neal's monstrous shadow continues to hover over the Magic franchise that he jilted in 1996 with his free-agent defection to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rivers said that even though he wasn't a part of the Magic when O'Neal left, he is often asked by fans how the franchise could lose the 7-foot-1, 315-pound center. Rivers said the only way the Magic will ever get beyond the O'Neal loss is by winning a championship.
"People around here will always be injured and stung by that," Rivers said. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. You move on and we're trying to win a title here without him. The only way to really move on is to win a title here.
"But there will always be a 'How-can-you-lose-Shaq?' syndrome around here until we do something big. And really that's the only way it can ever be."
And if Shaq were still in Orlando? Rivers admitted things would be drastically different. "We'd have a new arena, we'd have a title and everybody would be happy," Rivers said."We'd have the arena, we'd be driving new cars and we'd like each other a lot more."
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Grant gone: Magic center Horace Grant missed Wednesday's game with an intestinal virus, forcing the Magic to start 6-foot-8 Don Reid against O'Neal. Grant played alongside O'Neal in Los Angeles, helping the Lakers win their second championship in as many seasons. As a joke, someone in the Lakers' lockerroom wrote a message on the blackboard directed at Grant. "Where's Horace?" the message said. "Shaq-o-ria."
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Owner Shaq?: With Magic owner Rich DeVos putting the franchise up for sale, Grant was asked if O'Neal might be interested in possibly buying into the team someday. Grant said such a scenario isn't quite as far-fetched as it might seem because of O'Neal's sincere affinity for Central Florida. O'Neal still lives in his Isleworth mansion in the offseason and was back in Orlando earlier this month when he was suspended for three games for fighting.
"I think if the right person went to him and asked him to invest half and gave him all of the pros and cons he'd think seriously about it," Grant said. "He already sings and makes movies. Who knows, he might want to be an owner too."
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Back to school: Magic stars Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller drove from Orlando to Gainesville for Tuesday night's college basketball game between Kentucky and Florida. Miller starred at the University of Florida for two seasons before jumping to the NBA following his sophomore season. McGrady verbally committed to Kentucky after high school, but later chose to bypass college and jump straight to the NBA.
"That might have been the first or second college game I've ever been to and it was kind of different because the fans were into the whole game," McGrady noted."It was kind of a different game to watch in person. I guess it looked kind of easy, but I wouldn't know because I didn't go to college."
And which team was McGrady pulling for? "I wasn't even watching the game," he joked. "I was looking for (actress and Kentucky fan) Ashley Judd."
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Checking out the Gators
Tracy McGrady said he was little surprised at what he saw in Gainesville when he went to watch the Florida/Kentucky basketball game Tuesday night. Amazingly, it was the first major college basketball game he had watched in person. McGrady, who is from Auburndale, went directly from high school into the NBA. He went to the game with teammate Mike Miller, who played at Florida. "It looked a little easy, but I guess I wouldn't really know," McGrady said. "It's just a different game, but basketball is basketball." McGrady admitted that he didn't spend all his time watching the game. "I was looking for [actress and Kentucky graduate] Ashley Judd," he joked.
Dissing Horace Grant
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers couldn't resist getting in a dig on Horace Grant, who missed the game with an intestinal flu that kept him in bed Wednesday night. Grant played last season for the Lakers, but he left as a free agent to sign with the Magic for his final NBA season. Grant would have been guarding Shaquille O'Neal if he had played. Someone in the Lakers' locker room wrote a note on the chalkboard that normally is used for diagramming plays: “Where's Horace?'' was written in big letters. Then in small letters: “Shaq-arreha.'' Shaq is 7 feet 1 and an estimated 360 pounds.
Magic Coach Doc Rivers, after watching O'Neal have his way against the Magic around the basket, said he wished that Grant would have at least tried to play. “You're always disappointed [when someone can't play]. If you're sick, you are sick,'' Rivers said. “But at least show up and give it a go. It hurt us without him out there.''
Dr. Phil gives diagnosis
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and the Lakers couldn't resist getting in a dig on Horace Grant, who missed the game with an intestinal flu that kept him in bed Wednesday night. Grant played last season for the Lakers, but he left as a free agent to sign with the Magic for his final NBA season. Grant would have been guarding Shaquille O'Neal if he had played. Someone in the Lakers' locker room wrote a note on the chalkboard that normally is used for diagramming plays: "Where's Horace?" was written in big letters. Then in small letters: "Shaq-arreha."
Taking on Shaq
Even if Grant would have played, Magic Coach Doc Rivers knew he would have major problems trying to defend Shaq, the most dominating big man in basketball history. The 7-1 O'Neal weighs an estimated 360 pounds, and has led the Lakers to back-to-back titles. "I liken him to a giant," Rivers said. "And everyone else is an ant. You could put a bigger or smaller ant on him. And it won't really matter."
Bryant: We're not bored
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant didn't exactly agree with the assessment of Rivers, who said the Lakers looked "bored" at times during their recent slump, but he didn't dispute it either. The two-time defending champions started the season with a 16-1 record, but they came into Wednesday night's game playing just .500 basketball in the previous 10 games. "After winning a couple titles, maybe we've tried skip a step, overlook a step, along the way this time," Bryant said. "But we're not bored. I love the game too much for that."
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Lakers Jan 2002 Archive
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| Jan 31, 2002
His first blocked shot didn't come until the game was 43 minutes old, but Shaquille O'Neal's effortless swat of an Orlando Magic shot late Wednesday night was still symbolic.
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| Jan 31, 2002
It was fun while it lasted, but it just didn't last long enough.
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| Jan 31, 2002
Derek Fisher came through a devastating foot injury -- twice -- to get here, only to find himself shoved back to the bench when the Lakers stuttered for a few weeks.
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| Jan 30, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Shaquille O'Neal never will return to the Orlando Magic as a player, but he will consider coming back.
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| Jan 30, 2002
The annual visit from Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers is still an event.
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| Jan 30, 2002
Magic host Lakers
Who: Orlando Magic (23-22) vs.
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| Jan 30, 2002
The Los Angeles Lakers had just routed Orlando back in November, and as head coach Doc Rivers trudged from the locker room to the bus he encountered the primary culprit responsible for the Magic's doom.
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| Jan 30, 2002
There is nothing wrong with the Los Angeles Lakers that the NBA all-star break next weekend won't cure.
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| Jan 30, 2002
Blown out.
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| Jan 29, 2002
There is hope for the spiraling Hawks tonight at Philips Arena.
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| Jan 28, 2002
The Sacramento Bee has a well-written and researched article on the fate of Kermit Washington.
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| Jan 28, 2002
Tim Duncan overcame a terrible start, Tony Parker returned from his sprained ankle and started zipping by the Lakers, and the Spurs suddenly found themselves needing only a 3-pointer to tie with six seconds left.
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| Jan 27, 2002
The Orlando Magic will not benefit from the NBA's seemingly arbitrary system of justice Wednesday night when Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers make their only visit this season to the TD Waterhouse Centre.
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| Jan 26, 2002
The record said that the Lakers were 16-2 with Lindsey Hunter as their starting point guard, 12-9 without.
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| Jan 26, 2002
The LA Times reports that the Lakers will offer Kobe Bryant a three-year, $54.
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| Jan 26, 2002
The LA Daily News reports that even in the midst of five losses in seven games, and losses to last-place teams, coach Phil Jackson surveys his roster and feels comfortable with what he sees.
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| Jan 26, 2002
The (AP) and Bloomberg news reports: Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won six NBA championships, has agreed to coach the U.
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| Jan 26, 2002
Bryant still wants to be a Laker for life
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| Jan 25, 2002
The Lakers are in a little funk, which isn't headline news considering it's January and they've played this role before.
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| Jan 25, 2002
Five losses in seven games bring renewed concerns from outsiders that maybe something is really wrong with the Lakers,according to the Orange County Register.
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| Jan 25, 2002
Don Beideman of the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Kobe Bryant, the Lakers superstar who already has two championship rings at age 23 years, is set to have his #33 high school jersey retired tomorrow night.
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| Jan 24, 2002
Since they were 16-1, when at least a few Lakers described themselves as capable of breaking the Chicago Bulls' record of 72 wins if not necessarily likely to do it, the Lakers are 12-10.
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| Jan 21, 2002
The LA Times reports that Shaquille O'Neal returns as a full-time Laker today, when he is expected back from his grandmother's funeral in time for practice.
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| Jan 20, 2002
San Antonio, we have a problem.
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| Jan 20, 2002
The humiliation that started in the Alamodome during last season's playoffs continued Saturday at the Alamodome.
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| Jan 20, 2002
With Robinson benched again in the fourth quarter — and Shaquille O'Neal also not around — the Spurs again collapsed at the feet of the Los Angeles Lakers, losing 98-81 Saturday afternoon in front of a regional NBC audience and 33,544 disheartened fans at the Alamodome.
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| Jan 20, 2002
Despite a growing sense among league executives that there might not be a luxury tax, the Lakers appear no more likely to acquire front-court help by the Feb.
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| Jan 18, 2002
Cecily Fluke and Lesley Kump of Forbes Magazine write that the Los Angeles Lakers have passed the New York Knicks in franchise value in their last estimation.
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| Jan 18, 2002
Heat coach Pat Riley insists he did not pull the names out of a hat.
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| Jan 18, 2002
Wednesday's win over the Lakers elicited many different reactions from the Heat.
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| Jan 17, 2002
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: The Heat took a detour on its road to ruin Thursday.
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| Jan 17, 2002
If it were up to Shaquille O'Neal -- and the Lakers -- the All-Star probably would pay $730,000 for a week off from the competition, anyway.
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| Jan 17, 2002
Yes, that was Mitch Richmond in Lakers' warmups Wednesday night when the Heat played at Staples Center.
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| Jan 17, 2002
Like Pat Riley, the Lakers' Phil Jackson, whose team played host to the Heat late Wednesday, has never had a losing season as an NBA coach.
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| Jan 17, 2002
-- Lakers guard and Lauderdale Lakes native Mitch Richmond boasts a stellar NBA résumé: rookie of the year; six All-Star appearances; 20-plus points scoring average for 10 consecutive seasons; three times All-NBA second team.
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| Jan 16, 2002
The NBA, that citadel of swift and impartial justice, slapped Shaq with a $15,000 fine and a three-game suspension.
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| Jan 16, 2002
Dallas owner Mark Cuban is beginning to wear the robes of the league's Nostradamus.
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| Jan 16, 2002
At the end of the third quarter of Miami's 86-79 victory at Golden State Monday, the Heat had 54 points.
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| Jan 16, 2002
WHEN: 10:30 p.
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| Jan 16, 2002
There is no bust of Charles Darwin next to Dr.
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| Jan 16, 2002
Pat Riley was prepared to warn his players about the dangers of overstating the absence of Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal from tonight's game at Staples Center.
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| Jan 16, 2002
So the supposedly mighty Lakers lose by 18 points to Minnesota on Friday and drop an overtime contest a night later to Chicago, owner of the NBA's worst record.
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| Jan 16, 2002
More than any other player in the NBA, Karl Malone knows what Shaquille O"Neal went through Saturday night.
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| Jan 15, 2002
Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders saw the replays and said he does not condone Shaquille O'Neal throwing a roundhouse punch at the back of Chicago center Brad Miller's head.
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| Jan 15, 2002
Mike Lupica of the Daily News tells us Shaquille O'Neal got three games from the league yesterday for swinging at Miller the way he did and starting a real nice brawl.
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| Jan 15, 2002
Dwain Price of the Star Telegram reports that Mark Cuban said this is exactly the sort of incident he was trying to prevent by tightening up refereeing.
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| Jan 15, 2002
Three hours earlier, ESPN was replaying Alonzo Mourning's flailing punches at Knicks forward Larry Johnson during the 1998 playoffs.
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| Jan 15, 2002
The Hack-a-Shaq routine sent Shaquille O'Neal into a rage Saturday against the Bulls, and the NBA suspended the Lakers center
HEAT NOTEBOOK
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for three games Monday for throwing punches.
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| Jan 14, 2002
Fists of Fury sideline Shaq
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| Jan 14, 2002
Shaquille O'Neal didn't stay inside the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room to talk after his haymaker punch failed to remove the head from Brad Miller's body Saturday night.
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| Jan 14, 2002
The LA Daily News reports that Phil Jackson said in the most definitive terms yet that his current Lakers contract -- which expires in 2004 -- probably will be his last.
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| Jan 13, 2002
The one factor that could have made this a competitive chase for the title seemingly has been eliminated from this season's equation.
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| Jan 13, 2002
Howard Beck writes in the LA Daily News: The body blows are nothing to new to Shaquille O'Neal.
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| Jan 13, 2002
Get your programs! In Saturday night NBA fights not only did we have the re-match between Kenyon Martin and Tracy McGrady, but we had a new main event.
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| Jan 12, 2002
The Minnesota Timberwolves, trying to take the next step from playoff team to legitimate contender, made an impressive statement against the two-time defending NBA champions.
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| Jan 12, 2002
Gary Trent took a pass from Kevin Garnett for the last of those points, then landed awkwardly and turned his left ankle.
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| Jan 12, 2002
This was not a statement game, they said.
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| Jan 12, 2002
Going through high school Bulls rookie Eddy Curry was kindly given the nickname of 'Baby Shaq', given his athletic ability and solid build.
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| Jan 11, 2002
Basketball is a game of matchups, they say, and on separate nights in a span of barely 24 hours, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take part in two of the NBA's most compelling.
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| Jan 10, 2002
There was a brief, shining moment late in the first quarter when it all seemed to be falling together for the Indiana Pacers.
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| Jan 10, 2002
Phil Jackson looked across six consecutive wins over nine nights, and three road wins in four nights, and decided the Lakers won again not simply because of their top-end height, but also because of their breadth, according to the LA Times.
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| Jan 9, 2002
It would not be at all surprising if O'Neal sat out a game or two, or even went to the injured list, in the days leading to the All-Star game, which will be played Feb.
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| Jan 9, 2002
You never want to admit that your opponent is unbeatable.
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| Jan 9, 2002
Pistons guard Jon Barry painfully stared into space during a pause in the fourth quarter Tuesday.
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| Jan 9, 2002
When we were kids growing up on the streets of New York, nobody ever picked Joe DiMaggio as his favorite player.
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| Jan 7, 2002
Sneaky devil, that Kobe Bryant.
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| Jan 7, 2002
YOU CAN call it anything you like.
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| Jan 7, 2002
Shaquille O'Neal can add "The Fonz" to his lengthy list of nicknames.
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| Jan 6, 2002
Some players might be stronger, many are quicker and some play with at least as much ferocity.
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| Jan 6, 2002
Raptor Eric Montross has been in the NBA long enough to know what kind of player Shaquille O'Neal is.
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| Jan 6, 2002
Teams have hacked him, whacked him, zoned him and even intentionally sent him to the foul line to neutralize him.
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| Jan 4, 2002
As the world awaited word on the state of the Lakers' figurative big toe, Shaquille O'Neal pronounced his fitness for duty Thursday as only he can: with a turnaround, stumbling, fadeaway, baseline jumper (all net) over Jelani McCoy, followed by a running, hooting, smiling retreat to the Lakers' training room, where he spent most of the last two weeks.
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| Jan 3, 2002
Kobe Bryant will not discriminate.
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| Jan 3, 2002
Thursday, January 03, 2002 - Think the Los Angeles Lakers would trade Kobe Bryant for Nick Van Exel?
Bryant has two NBA championship rings.
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| Jan 2, 2002
Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - For many fans in attendance, even some rooting for the Denver Nuggets, the news comes as a disappointment.
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| Jan 2, 2002
Shaquille O'Neal, still hobbled by an arthritic big toe, participated in Tuesday's Lakers practice on a limited basis, setting up his expected return to the court Friday, according to the Orange County Register.
