LOS ANGELES - The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers gave everyone a little suspense in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, letting a 23-point lead slip to three in the fourth quarter before they finished off the New Jersey Nets, 99-94, last night at Staples Center.
The game must have brought back unpleasant memories for the Lakers, who squandered a 13-point, first-quarter lead and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of last year's NBA Finals.
However, Shaquille O'Neal served as a giant antacid last night, pouring in 36 points - 14 in the fourth quarter - to stave off the New Jersey run and give the Lakers a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
O'Neal, who scored 16 in the first half, went into a deep freeze for most of the second half. So did the Lakers, who were unable to sustain much of a half-court offense after connecting at will in the first 16 minutes.
"This game was a kind of a feel-out game," said O'Neal, who shot 12-for-22 from the floor and 12-for-21 from the free-throw line. "We've only played them twice. Now we know what they have. I'm sure each game will be different, but this was a feel-out game.
"We got a lead, we let the lead go, we picked up when we needed to. We won by five. I know we're a little disappointed in ourselves, but we got the first game out of the way, and I'm sure the second game will be a lot better."
Said Lakers coach Phil Jackson: "I thought we played on cruise control and tried to let some things not take place, and the Nets got some momentum and had some great second-chance efforts that put them back in the ballgame.
"[The Nets] were obviously embarrassed early in the ballgame. We came out and looked very good and carried the action, and they came back in the second quarter. They were tenacious, and they stuck with it."
The Nets, in their first championship series appearance, steadily clawed their way back behind Jason Kidd, who had 23 points for the game, six in the fourth quarter, en route to a triple double - the 26th in NBA Finals history - with 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
New Jersey got to within three with 4:47 left when Kenyon Martin hit two free throws to make the score 84-81. But the Nets missed big shots down the stretch, and O'Neal, who made 24 of 32 free throws in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Sacramento Kings, hit eight of 16 foul shots in the period.
"I think our guys got the first-quarter jitters out of the way, and maybe this is going to be a better series than people think it's going to be," said New Jersey coach Byron Scott. "I think our guys being in the championship series for the first time were a little nervous, and the first quarter obviously didn't help."
O'Neal, who had 16 rebounds, seemed to put the issue of free-throw shooting to rest with his performance in the Sacramento series, but he may have to confront it again, as the Nets seem willing to put him on the line.
"I missed a couple there that I shouldn't have missed," said O'Neal. "You just go to the line and hit them, especially in the fourth quarter. I never really worried about percentages. I just shoot them the same way I have all year. I'm going to hit them when I need to hit them."
Said Scott: "I acknowledge that he has definitely improved. He's knocking them down on a consistent basis. I'd rather take my chances with Shaq shooting from 15 feet than from three or four feet. He's the most dominant player in the league. When he wants to get to the basket, there's nobody in this league that's been able to stop him yet, and there won't be anybody in this league for a long time."
Kobe Bryant had 22 points for Los Angeles, but only two in the fourth quarter. Rick Fox scored 14 for the Lakers, and Derek Fisher chipped in 13.
Martin had 21 points for New Jersey, including a late three-pointer to make things interesting. Keith Van Horn had 12 points, but shot only 5-for-14 for the Nets, who shot 39 percent from the floor for the game, and 15-for-26 from the foul line.
"They are the two-time defending champions," Kidd said. "We don't have to play the perfect game, but we have to come out with the effort that we had for the last three quarters. Throw the first quarter out the window. That's the team that needs to come out on Friday."
Scott knew heading into last night's game that New Jersey would have its hands full guarding O'Neal, who only in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference finals started to shake off the effects of lingering shoulder, toe and ankle injuries that have hampered him in the playoffs.
Scott planned to use Todd MacCulloch, who as a member of the 76ers saw time against O'Neal in last year's NBA Finals, as the first defender.