The Indiana Pacers came out lively and confident with Reggie Miller

	Related Links: GameCenter Lakers regroup after losing Bryant to turn back Pacers Pacers can't capitalize on Bryant's injury Bryant out of Game 2 after injuring ankle Audio: Lakers coach Phil Jackson says it wasn't an easy win for LA Real | Windows Media Audio: Jackson says Shaq is similar to Wilt Chamberlain Real | Windows Media Audio: Jackson discusses Shaq's Game 2 performance Real | Windows Media Audio: Pacers coach Larry Bird discusses Shaq's Game 2 performance Real | Windows Media Audio: Bird discusses the Hack-a-Shaq gameplan Real | Windows Media Audio: Bird says the Pacers blew a great chance Real | Windows Media Audio: Pacers guard Reggie Miller says he's not a fan of the Hack-a-Shaq Real | Windows Media Audio: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant says the team stepped up in his absence Real | Windows Media Lakers-Pacers series overview The Edge: NBA Finals Speak out: Have your say in the Lakers Team Club!
	T O P   N E W S

and Jalen Rose leading them to an early advantage.

The Los Angeles Lakers, as the team with the best record in the NBA this season and the favorites to win the title, retaliated with great perimeter shooting from Glen Rice and some open-floor drives from Ron Harper after Kobe Bryant was knocked out of the game with a sprained left ankle.

Unfortunately for the Pacers, none of that lasted because mammoth Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal took over the game again.

The result was the game deteriorated to a "beat up the big guy" style of defense, better known as Hack-a-Shaq. Besides, the tactic did nothing to deter the Lakers from rolling to a 111-104 victory and a commanding 2-0 series advantage behind O'Neal's 40 points and 24 rebounds.

We can only hope Pacers coach Larry Bird won't resort to such an un-basketball manner in which to stay in the game.

"Well, you know, when a game's that tight and you get down four or five, I think it's the best opportunity to get the ball back," Bird said. "He was struggling early. But the more you put him on the line, the better he gets."

Nobody has ever been to the line more often in the history of the NBA. O'Neal was 18-of-39 from the line, smashing the all-time NBA game, playoffs and Finals marks.

He claims Hack-a-Shaq is insulting and ultimately used it as a catalyst to lift his game -- again.

"It's out of respect for the rest of my game, so it's just up to me to step up and take advantage of it," said O'Neal, who was 5-for-17 in the first half. "Like it was in high school, my dad was in the stands, and he told me just to relax and I got better in the second half."

There was more to it than that. The Pacers just couldn't get over the top, despite the Lakers losing Bryant, their All-Star guard who is not only their second leading scorer, but their best open-floor player and outside shooter.

"I'm not a fan of Hack-a-Shaq," Miller said. "I like to play old-fashioned, straight-up basketball. But when you're down two, six, seven points and it's late in the game, we get more possessions and it puts pressure on Shaq to make the free throws."

The Pacers were within striking distance the whole night, even leading sporadically in the first half and during the third quarter. The Staples Center crowd showed all the energy of comedian Steven Wright on valium. Nobody was snoring, but as Shaq was a record 5-of-17 from the free throw line and Bryant out for the game (at least), this was very much in the Pacers' favor despite the Lakers' 52-49 lead at halftime.

The Pacers defense was much more active double-teaming and hitting O'Neal, which kept him either out of rhythm or on the free throw line despite 15 points. That put the pressure on Rice and anybody else to keep the Lakers rolling.

This was much different than the opening game, where the Pacers may as well have not shown up.

"I thought the opportunity was there tonight," Bird said. "I knew they were going to come and play well. We had to make shots when they were there and we didn't."

A lot of it came down to Miller. He wasn't 1-for-16 as he embarrassed himself in Game 1, but even though he had 21 points, Miller had just two points in the fourth quarter on a pair of free throws. For a guy who talked such a big game about having to be the leader, he failed miserably to take a game that was hanging there in the offing.

"With Kobe going down," Miller said, "we had a golden opportunity slip through our fingers."

Everything else seemed to slip through his fingers in the fourth quarter too. Jalen Rose had 30 and Austin Croshere 24 coming off the bench. It didn't match what O'Neal put up, not to mention the 21 points each from Rice and Harper in the wake of Bryant's injury. But in the final two minutes, with Croshere misfiring on a 3 and Dale Davis grabbing the rebound and finding Miller alone in the corner for another 3-point attempt that went awry, that's when the game was lost for the Pacers. They never caught the Lakers.

Coping with O'Neal is one thing. Being productive with the ball themselves is quite another for the Pacers, who have proven to be a schizophrenic team all season long anyway. Maybe they get it back together again and make it a series in Conseco Fieldhouse, with games Sunday, Wednesday and, if necessary, Friday.

It isn't likely that Bryant will play considering the pain of the left ankle sprain and the 2-0 Lakes lead. They could sit him until Wednesday night's Game 4 and still have a 2-1 lead in the series at worst.

Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (left) scores over Indiana center Rik Smits in Game 2.(AP)

"I thought Indiana played a much more determined game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They took the ball to us, and you know, they seemed like they shot as many (free throws) as Shaq was shooting the fourth quarter. It went on forever. What was the time in that fourth quarter?"

It was Hack-a-Shaq time.

It was a sign of desperation in Bird and the Pacers that doesn't bode well for the home fans beginning Sunday. It got so bad (grabbing him, jumping on his back) that even Pacers veteran Sam Perkins didn't know that in the final two minutes of a game if you foul off the ball, it's a one-shot free throw and ball out of bounds.

Actually, the whole scene was just plain pathetic.

After all, despite the attempt by Bird to pull this out through the back door, it didn't work. O'Neal made sure of that.

"I thought he was better tonight than he was the other night (43 points, 19 rebounds in Game 1)," Bird said. "We did some thing better, but if we don't hit the big shots against this team, we're not going to win."