Word: shaq
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...very much the same team, a bit more mature perhaps, and Shaq is healthy, but the big difference is that the Lakers are winning. Under Jackson, the Lakers sport the glossiest record in the NBA (51-11), and O'Neal is having an MVP season. "We've had a good first half," says the massive 315-lb., 7-ft. 1-in. O'Neal, who is averaging almost 30 points a game. "Now we have to maintain." Adds Jackson: "To be quite frank, I didn't think they'd be this far along...
Jackson's positive attitude has helped O'Neal's confidence. "He's a top coach who makes the right moves," says O'Neal. Truth be told, Shaq's not really that much better at the line--his .502 free-throw percentage is down slightly from last season. But lately he's been shooting better, especially in big games...
This means that Jackson doesn't have to yank Shaq late in the game before opponents can foul him deliberately to get him to the line. In a recent match against Portland, the Lakers' likely rival for the Western Conference title, O'Neal made nine of 13 from the line. If he ever gets his free-throw act together, he'll be...actually, it's too frightening to think about. In a game just last week, he scored 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. O.K., it was against the L.A. Clippers--Christina Aguilera could probably put up 40 points...
...individual stats to help the Bulls win six. Why can't you suck it up for the team too? "He's definite about things," says his longtime assistant coach Tex Winters. "He doesn't let things slip. He's not afraid to go face to face with Kobe or Shaq or anybody...
...disparate players--fragments and riddles--and makes them one. Then, again, we are talking basketball here, and maybe all Jackson is trying to do is create an air of mystery around his coaching methods and his team in order to give his players a mental edge. "I thought about Shaq's attitude toward life," says Jackson, "and I thought he could respond to Nietzsche...