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Notebook: Shaq stays out of limelight on the road
PORTLAND, Ore. -- You are 7-feet-1, 330 pounds and the most famous man in the city of Portland this weekend.
Unobtrusive wouldn't be the way to describe Shaquille O'Neal's "I just don't go anywhere here," O'Neal said. "I just hang out, watch Spectravision, order room service, go on the Internet, that sort of thing. Heck, Spectravision should give me stock considering how much money I've spent watching their movies. "Actually, it makes my life easier and I don't go to the movies as much because I know I'm gonna see all the movies I want to see in my hotel rooms the next month." O'Neal conceded it isn't like that in every city in the NBA, but he does spend most of his time on the road in his room. And Saturday night, before the Lakers' 103-91 victory over the Blazers, was no different. "It's good that I'm like that on the road because when I'm at home, I can't sit still," O'Neal said. "I'm always on the go in L.A., so when I go on the road, it's time for me to chill a little bit. But it isn't good for me just to lay around on the road, either. So I've got to find a happy medium." At his size, laying around in a hotel room for days at a time could make weight gain very easy. That isn't a problem ... at least, it isn't that way at the age of 28. As his fame continues to grow, the ability to have fun outside of his home turf might not get any easier, that's for sure. But he's now an eight-year veteran in the NBA, so it isn't as if he doesn't have his hangouts in at least some cities. "It depends where I am," O'Neal said. "When we're playing Atlanta, Dallas, New Jersey, New York or Toronto, I'll go out. I can get to clubs in a car and not get hassled. Those are the cities I can get away with it because I know what's happening there. I'm not about to go out some place I'm not real comfortable about what's going on." That's the price of fame, no doubt. Don't think for a moment that O'Neal has any regrets. He's proud of what he has accomplished in winning the Most Valuable Player award this season, and the Lakers remain on track to achieve their goal of winning the NBA title as well. "It's all part of the deal," he said. "People see me and know who I am. A lot of good things have happened to me because of it, so I'm not about to complain about some things that make my life a little more difficult." Very superstitious ...Blazers president Bob Whitsitt pulled out his lucky black Blazers sweater Sunday morning and was trying to remember if there were any other good-luck charms he could come up with going into Game 4. After the Blazers fell behind 2-1 when they blew a 14-point lead in Game 3, he figured anything that could help the cause was worth it. Unfortunately for him, nothing worked Sunday. "I pulled this out of mothballs," Whitsitt said. "I'm not sure how many games we've won with this, but it's something-and-0. We've also got the dancers dancing to American Woman today because they claim we've never lost when they've danced to that, either. "Anything else you can think of, we'll take." Whitsitt has been through the wars enough to know every series can change on a dime, and after the way the Blazers fell apart in the second half of Game 4 to fall behind 3-1 in the series, there's not much hope left. "As each series progresses in the playoffs, every game, every quarter and every possession becomes more important," he said. "That's what makes the playoffs so much fun ... and nerve-wracking." The Fox and the ShawLakers guard Brian Shaw was the one player who was suspended after the brief fracas in Game 3 between Scottie Pippen and Rick Fox. Shaw didn't do anything out of control, he just came off the bench, which is an automatic suspension. But ... "It was during a time out and he's allowed to come out on the floor during a time out," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But I understand the NBA is just trying to protect itself. It's just that when you look at the situation, it was a lot different than a normal thing when players just pour off the bench." Despite Derek Fisher playing well for the Lakers, the Blazers have been playing a lot of the big guards in the backcourt with Pippen and Steve Smith, both 6-8. So rather than automatically expecting Fisher to play a lot, Ron Harper played 34 minutes, and the 6-6 Fox played some guard too. Both Fisher and Fox sank crucial 3-pointers for the Lakers. And in a tribute to their suspended buddy, his jersey was on the bench ... occasionally being passed under certain circumstances. "We felt the system got us (with Shaw)," O'Neal said. "So we gave it up for B. Knuckle. We call him B. Knuckle because he has a knucklehead." Seeing more of NellieOn the verge of retirement several times over the past few years, Don Nelson figures to be around the NBA for as many as 11 more years after the deal he agreed to with new Mavericks owner Mark Cuban Saturday. Nellie, 60, agreed to be coach and general manager of the Mavericks for the next three seasons at $5.1 million, then be general manager for another three at $1.6 million. And to top it off, he also tentatively said he would be a consultant for another five years after that. All that for a guy who appeared to be finished in the NBA six years ago. It just proves beauty is in the eye of the beholder ... still! Shots from the perimeter
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