INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers made it clear how they felt about the ankle injury suffered by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant in Game 2. Their position? Bryant is a good player, but they wished it was Shaquille O'Neal who was hurt instead.
"They would be the same team with four reporters playing for them as long as they have Shaq in the paint," swingman Jalen Rose said about the Lakers Saturday before the Pacers' practice at Conseco Fieldhouse.
"We're still going to prepare as if [Bryant] is going to play but they've played without Kobe before as well as not playing with Shaq," guard Reggie Miller said. "There's a difference. So it really doesn't mean anything if [Bryant] is playing or not."
While the Pacers are uncertain about Bryant's status, they know O'Neal has been a big pain in the first two games. With 83 points in the series, O'Neal has made life miserable for center Rik Smits, who has been hampered because of foul trouble.
Smits has 11 fouls in 36 minutes against O'Neal and has scored only 16 points.
"I think the whistles have been fair," Smits said. "There's always some questionable calls in every game. But I don't have a problem with the officiating."
Smits said Indiana has to continue to be aggressive with its double-teams on O'Neal.
"I don't know if we're going to have Shaq on the [free-throw] line as much as we did [Friday night], but I think we need to keep doing it, especially when he gets the ball down low," Smits said.
Indiana Coach Larry Bird did not expect Smits to stop O'Neal by himself, but he did hope his center would be more offensive-minded.
"Rik is turning down shots," Bird said. "He's got to play his type of game. He's going down low, then he's backing away. He has a tendency to drift out on the court, we need more from him."
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Bird acknowledges he does not like the Hack-a-Shaq tactic but said the Pacers will not rule it out if O'Neal continues to miss free throws.
"I don't know [if Indiana] will use it again. . . . You know I would rather play him straight up and play strong basketball," Bird said. "But if you have to foul him in order to get that extra possession, you have to do it."
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First Sacramento did it. Then Phoenix, followed by Portland. Now it's Indiana's turn to posture for calls against the Lakers.
