After a stunning 29-point loss at home in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals to the Portland Trail Blazers, there has been a lot of posturing (as would be expected by the generally pompous and frequently sarcastic Lakers coach Phil Jackson) and analyzing (from the always arrogant and constantly cynical media), but O'Neal cut right through all the bluster.

"There is an old saying in this league: 'You live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot,'" O'Neal said.

Considering O'Neal, the NBA's Most Valuable Player this season, is leading all playoff participants in scoring and rebounding, the Blazers just dared the Lakers to take jump shots from any and all angles. The result was palpable for the Lakers. With the exception of O'Neal's 9-of-16 from the field, they sank just 18-of-53 of their shots, and just 39 percent including their mammoth center.

And what the Blazers did with wunderkind shooting guard Kobe Bryant was even more obvious. They buried him defensively on the block, with 6-8 veteran Steve Smith and young Bonzi Wells working him with their size and strength, then forcing Bryant to take long-range jump shots on the offensive end.

Was it just a fluke with the Lakers?

Not necessarily. They are so dependent on O'Neal and Bryant, many observers find this series to be two against the 10-deep Blazers. There was a time when forward Glen Rice was one of the more feared shooters (and scorers) in the NBA. Since joining the Lakers last season with since-departed J.R. Reid in exchange for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, Rice's vast skills have continued to deteriorate because all the offense runs through O'Neal and Bryant. He's averaging only 13.3 points during these playoffs (and shooting a career-low 39.8 percent) after averaging 15.9 during the regular season. Even so, the 15.9 marks his lowest scoring average since his rookie season 10 years ago.

But the point is that, other than O'Neal and Bryant, nobody can shoot the ball very well. Sure, Brian Shaw has stepped up to hit 50 percent of his shots in the playoffs, but that's an aberration more than a dependable figure. And of the other six players, four are shooting less than 40 percent, while Derek Fisher (41.2) and Rick Fox (43.6) are slightly better.

Meanwhile, the Blazers are far more explosive from a variety of angles with Smith, Scottie Pippen and Rasheed Wallace. That's not to mention Wells, Brian Grant and Damon Stoudamire are all capable of being the heart of offensive runs at any point of the game.

That was the difference between the Blazers that lost by 15 in Game 1 and the team that blew out the Lakers at the swank Staples Center like no other team had done all season. In fact, it was the Blazers' first playoff win in Los Angeles since 1977, when the Blazers won the NBA title.

Now it's up to Jackson, the vaunted spin meister, to make it work for the Lakers, even resorting to name-calling.

The Lakers' Glen Rice (top) has had trouble hitting the outside shot, unlike Portland's Scottie Pippen.(AP)

"What we remember is the attitude Portland carried off the floor," Jackson said. "The Blazers were kind of jackals down there on the bench. We have to remember that when we go to Portland, that they might have been just a little bit too much so."

And he even attempted to bait the officials into more illegal defenses. Some of that might work. More likely, it all will come down to just how dominant O'Neal and Bryant will be in Games 3 and 4 in the Rose Garden, avoiding another game in which they die by the jump shot. Can they take the crowd out of the game the same way they did the during the storied regular-season game when the Lakers won by three, then stormed to the best record in the NBA?

"None of that matters," Smith said. "We were all even with them during the regular season, and the last game they won was by three points. It's just us against them."

Two against nine or 10 ... who would you pick?

The prevailing winds of Atlanta

Considering they offered the moon to Tom Izzo and they settled on Lon Kruger as their new coach to replace Lenny Wilkens, there isn't much doubt which way the Atlanta Hawks are going for the future.

General manager Pete Babcock had it in his head all along to go from the oldest coach in the NBA to one who was a college coach or a young former player. He and team president Stan Kasten had looked at Byron Scott and Sidney Lowe but settled on Kruger. It isn't as if Kruger is inexperienced or unsuccessful, with 18 years of coaching and a 318-223 record. He's got a proven track record on the college level. His 71-48 mark at Illinois was decent, too. But he's never won a title and never coached an NBA game.

"We want to be aggressive," Kruger said. "We want to get out and pressure the ball defensively, and we want to push the ball offensively. Do the extra things; doing them with an enthusiasm, a passion and a sincerity. The character and the genuine makeup of the squad is the most critical thing."

He's talking about an NBA team? Suffice to say the Hawks won't be bringing back Isaiah Rider.

The Carolina sting

The heat is on Ray Woolridge if he really wants to keep the Hornets in Charlotte.

Monday night, Woolridge met the city council with his second proposal for a new $250 million arena to replace the existing Charlotte Coliseum for the Hornets. After stunning the council, the media and the public in his initial proposal asking for a completely public-funded facility, Monday he offered the Hornets paying 25 percent of the total package while claiming the Hornets are losing $1 million a month playing in the Coliseum.

So the council responded with a logical request ... show us your books.

Now the Hornets are reluctant because there is no law requiring such an act.

What we are talking about these days is good faith and the way the Hornets have been handled the past couple of years and waning public interest with playoff games barely filling up half the Coliseum, this franchise is clearly in trouble.

Maybe Woolridge is sincere about getting a deal done.

Maybe he is not. The city has sure grown tired of their act.

Kenny and the Nets

Watch for Kenny Smith to become more prominent in the coaching picture over the next few weeks. Now that the Atlanta job is closed, the Nets, Clippers, Wizards, Grizzlies and Pacers still have positions to fill.

It's pretty hard to believe the Wizards began their bidding to hire Mike Jarvis away from St. John's with a $1 million a year offer. Considering the Hawks offered Izzo $3 million a year for five years, it was a slap in the face to Jarvis. He has since said the fact the Wizards lost their lottery pick also played a role in his pulling out of the job contention. The whole hiring process was botched with a high-profile college guy.

What does president of operations Michael Jordan do now? Keep an eye on Smith, presently a TV analyst. On the heels of Doc Rivers winning coach of the year with no experience but a TV background since retirement, Smith has become an attractive candidate for the Wizards and the Nets. Add Smith and Jordan having a background at North Carolina and it might work ... unless the Nets steal him first.

Meanwhile, Wilkens and Sidney Lowe remain the top candidates in Vancouver, while Isiah Thomas remains a likely hire at Indiana or New Jersey, provided he divests himself of the CBA. Rick Carlisle still could replace Larry Bird as coach of the Pacers, but more likely if Bird remains with the organization (which isn't a lock). Byron Scott also is somebody the Pacers are interested in, as are the Grizzlies. And Mike Fratello still could land with the Nets.

Shots from the Perimeter

• Funeral services for Malik Sealy are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Riverside Church in New York. The Timberwolves are chartering a flight for the team and staff to honor their deceased teammate, who was killed very early Saturday morning when a pickup truck going the wrong way on Highway 100 in suburban Minneapolis hit his car. He was returning from the celebration of teammate Kevin Garnett's 24th birthday.
• Now that Jalen Rose has been honored as the NBA's Most Improved Player, where does he go next season? As a free agent, the Pacers are committed to re-signing him, but he has shown a serious interest in returning home to Detroit. Some of it depends on what happens with Pistons free agent Grant Hill and if he leaves as a free agent, providing the Pistons cap room.
• Speaking of the Pistons, ex-point guard Thomas joined Bob McAdoo, one of the original NBA founders Danny Biasone, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, legendary DaMatha High School coach Morgan Wooten and Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton as the newest class elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The name nobody talks about these days is McAdoo, now an assistant coach with the Heat and one of the great scoring big-men of all time.
• Keep an eye on Tim Duncan. The San Antonio forward had surgery Wednesday to repair the torn cartilage in his left knee. Not only will he become a free agent July 1 and already plans on visiting Orlando, but he is expected to be on the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, which begins practicing on Aug. 25. His participation on the team remains cloudy because the rehabilitation period does not begin immediately.