With one twist, however.

O'Neal and Shaw had a kickout play in Orlando in which Shaq always found Shaw on the perimeter when there was too much pressure down low. That helped the Magic reach the NBA Finals five years ago.

The O'Neal-to-Shaw kickout helped Los Angeles overcome a steep deficit and upend the Portland Trail Blazers 89-84 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday, advancing the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

This time, O'Neal isn't ecstatic just reaching this level.

"Because," he said, "there's still a job to be done here."

That is what the Lakers remembered to do in the biggest test of their young Phil Jackson era. Shaw's 3-point banker at the end of the third quarter cut Portland's deficit to 71-58, prompting his exchange with O'Neal.

The Blazers didn't fade away, but Shaw started those gale-force winds blowing when he drilled another 3-point shot from the left side, 2½ minutes into the fourth quarter to nudge the Lakers to within 75-65.

That's when Jackson huffed and puffed, bellowing words that no Laker cared to repeat afterward.

"I can't tell you," said guard Ron Harper. "Go ask Phil."

Jackson only said he jumped in his players' faces, and they responded.

"We might have learned everything, at this point, to have learned how to do it," Jackson said. "It was a daunting, uphill battle we had to face. There was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. It was 'building' stuff for this team.

"Great heart, great intensity and a great game."

The final 10 minutes might go down as one of the finest in the franchise's history, and the rush provided by the sellout Staples Center crowd of 18,997 was as unmistakable as the euphoria that Kirk Gibson created with his legendary home run in 1988 at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers used that to jump-start their drive to a World Series over Oakland, and the two moments were quickly compared by many soon after the Blazers had been relegated to their tiny Staples locker room.

It also had been 12 years since the Lakers last won an NBA championship, so this city has some pent-up sporting emotions of epic proportions.

"I think Portland was starting to feel like they had this team (the Lakers) all wrapped up," Shaw said. "Then it changed, little by little. Then we got the whole thing. Phil told us to come down and not try to get it all back at once.

"The Trail Blazers were a little more hesitant than they had been the whole game, and I think that little indecision made the difference."

At both ends of the court, the Lakers could do no wrong. Shaw launched another 3-point attempt, but Robert Horry chased the miss down, waltzed back out to the 3-point line and drilled a shot in Scottie Pippen's face to cut Portland's lead to 75-70.

The entire second half, Rasheed Wallace was the primary, low-post option for the Blazers, but even he started hesitating as Portland began treating the ball like a hand grenade. You take it, Pippen. No, you take it, Brian Grant.

No, you take it, Steve Smith. The doubt the Lakers sensed in their foes was palpable, and the frenzied momentum switch was compounded by the adrenaline rush infused into the home team by its fans.

"You feast on that," Bryant said.

Shaw, courtesy of a Shaq kick-out, found the net on another 3-pointer to tie it 75-75.

"I knew that his shot was going to fall," said O'Neal, who huddled his four teammates together when Jackson called a timeout at that point. "We made a lot of mistakes, but I pulled the team together and told them we've come too far to let it slip away. Let's fight. Let's claw."

While we're at it, let's cut Portland's jugular. Shaq's teammates got the message, and the game started spiraling for the Blazers when the Lakers scored, their fans got louder, which inspired them to keep doing well, which produced even more noise.

"The crowd was excited," said Portland forward Grant. "A lot of them were leaving when (the Lakers' deficit) was 15 points. But it seemed like they came right back into the building and raised the roof ... back to the drawing board for us."

The Lakers were riding so high they gave the Blazers one of their next two baskets when Shaq was called for goaltending a shot by Wallace.

A disappointed Scottie Pippen shares an embrace with victorious Kobe Bryant.(AP)

No matter, because L.A. didn't slow down until Bryant lobbed a high one into Shaq, who punctuated the run and the game with a hammer of a right-handed dunk for an 85-79 edge.

That capped a stunning 25-4 run that had to have been felt in Indianapolis.

"I threw that ball pretty high," Bryant said. "But Shaq went up and got it! Dang! And he finished it off."

As if it were a tiny piece of chocolate cake to an eight-course meal. The Lakers polished off the Blazers with an incredible 31-13 fourth quarter, shooting 60 percent to Portland's 21.7.

Thing is, it wasn't enough. Locals thought it was loud when they went to cover their ear drums during one of the team's most memorable stretches in the fourth quarter, but they should have heard Shaq's stomach rumbling as he left the building.

He's still hungry, and so are his teammates.