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No. 1 L.A. Lakers vs. No. 5 Phoenix
| REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS (L.A. Lakers won series 4-0) |
| Date |
Final Score |
| 11/15 at PHO |
L.A. Lakers 91, Phoenix 82 |
| 12/29 at LAL |
L.A. Lakers 103, Phoenix 87 |
| 3/24 at LAL |
L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix 101 |
| 4/4 at PHO |
L.A. Lakers 84, Phoenix 83 |
| HEAD COACHES |
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Phil Jackson, L.A. Lakers
First year with Lakers, 10th year overall
Playoff record: 114-43
Best Finish: NBA Champions (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
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Scott Skiles, Phoenix
First year with Suns, first year overall
Playoff record: 3-1
First year: After Danny Ainge quit as Suns coach, Skiles, an assistant,
took over on Dec. 14.
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| STARTING FIVE |
| L.A. Lakers |
| Ron Harper, G |
Well-schooled in running Phil Jackson's triangle offense. |
| Kobe Bryant, G |
Great matchup between Kobe and Kidd. |
| Glen Rice, F |
If they double on Shaq, he can make them
pay with outside bombs. |
| A.C. Green, F |
Ironman still brings toughness, all the
intangibles to court. |
| Shaquille O'Neal, C |
Against soft Suns he could go for 40 a night. |
| Phoenix Suns |
| Jason Kidd, G |
Miraculously recovered from ankle sprain
to help beat Spurs in first round |
| Penny Hardaway, G |
In Kidd's absence, Penny stepped up |
| Shawn Marion, F |
Deserves to be on all-rookie team |
| Cliff Robinson, F |
Leads the team in scoring; not afraid to take the big shot |
| Luc Longley, C |
Biggest disappointment for Suns |
| THE BENCH |
| L.A. Lakers |
| Robert Horry, F |
Two titles with Houston. Knows what it takes to win. |
| Rick Fox, F |
Underrated defender and can hit big 3-pointer. |
| Derek Fisher, G |
Backup playmaker when Harper needs breather. |
| John Salley, C |
Fills up space while Shaq catches his breath. |
| Phoenix Suns |
| Rodney Rogers, F |
The NBA's Sixth Man award winner can hit
from outside, grind inside |
| Kevin Johnson, G |
Now that Kidd back his minutes could go
down |
| Oliver Miller, C |
Often plays in closing minutes |
| HOW THEY GOT THERE |
| L.A. Lakers |
Phil Jackson wanted the bullet-proof Lakers to suffer some adversity and they got it in the first round with Sacramento, getting pushed to the decisive fifth game. But the dominant Lakers again emerged to easily win that one, 113-86, and once again looked like the favorite to win the NBA title.
First-round overview
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| Phoenix Suns |
Jason Kidd was out. So was Tom Gugliotta and Rex Chapman,
and the opponent was the defending champions, the Spurs. But Phoenix caught a break when San Antonio star Tim Duncan was sidelined for the series with a knee injury. And Kidd came back for Game 4, which the Suns won in American West Arena. It was the first time in 16 years that a defending champion was bounced in the first round.
First-round overview
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| SERIES OUTLOOK |
| Luc Longley, Corie Blount and Oliver Miller are the unlucky threesome who don't stand a chance against the Lakers 330 pound center, Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns aren't totally without hope, though. With Jason Kidd back and Penny Hardaway playing his best ball in years, they have an advantage on the perimeter. If they can force the action and get the Lakers running instead of going to Shaq every time, they have a chance at pulling the upset. If not, well, they always can resort to Hack-A-Shaq with the 18 big-guy fouls at their disposal.
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| PREDICTION |
Longley and Miller against Shaq? Yeah, right. Lakers in 5
Prediction by Simon Fishler, SportsLine.com NBA Editor
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The official site of Shaquille O'Neal
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