It didn't work as the best-of-7 series will resume in Indianapolis for Games 3, 4 and 5 with the Los Angeles Lakers holding a comfortable two-games-to-none edge after their 111-104 victory Friday at Staples Center.

"With a tie game in the fourth quarter and Kobe Bryant on the sideline," Croshere said, "you've got to like your chances."

Actually, the Pacers trailed the entire fourth quarter, even though they exploded for 35 points.

Los Angeles retaliated with Shaquille O'Neal, who tallied 17 of his 40 points in the critical quarter, and a host of Lakers chipped in, too, to replace the punch that was lost when Bryant left the game with a sprained left ankle near the end of the first quarter and did not return.

"He's been having some great games," Pacers guard Jalen Rose said of Croshere. "It's been no surprise. He just goes out, produces and makes plays for us. But in this game, the thing is all about winning."

To which Croshere, 25, will quickly attest. He connected on only six of his 15 attempts from the field. But while teammates mostly deferred to others, Croshere took it upon himself to try to force the issue, get by his man or test the Lakers' interior defense.

Croshere ended up with 24 points because he hit all 12 of the free throws he attempted, which came courtesy of elbows and body whomps and other pushes by assorted Lakers.

"He looked real good, but we expected it," said Lakers guard Brian Shaw. "He had good games against us in the regular season, too."

Sort of. In Indy, Croshere had 10 points and 12 rebounds in a January victory that ended a 16-game winning streak by the Lakers. Here at Staples in March, he had 15 points. He shot a combined 7-for-14 in the two games.

Croshere dropped off in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against New York, after scoring 22 points, when the Knicks made a more concerted effort to find him and thwart him. He had only five in Game 2.

He now has 40 points in two games against the Lakers because, he said, L.A. is not showing much concern when he touches the ball.

"Their defense is concentrating on other players, and I'm getting pretty good looks," said Croshere, who's doing a fine job of creating some looks on his own, too. "I've always had confidence in my game to take those shots. Reggie started hitting some of his shots, and they'll start to fall at home."

O'Neal, who had 43 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1, pounded the Pacers for 40 points and 24 boards on Friday.

"We look at Game 2, and it's not like we got blown out," Croshere said. "I thought we did a good job of double-teaming Shaq, but he still got the ball too close to the basket. And he looked like a man among boys out there."

He admitted that the 7-foot-1, 330-pound O'Neal is never too far from his or his teammates' thoughts when he or they find themselves in the paint with the ball or trying to lunge for an errant shot off the rim or glass.

The Pacers made sure there were plenty of those opportunities Friday by missing 55 of their 88 field-goal attempts. Rose scored 30 points, on 10-for-23 shooting, and Reggie Miller started slipping out of his funk with 21 points, going 7-for-16 from the field.

However, Miller's last field goal of the game came with 4 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter, when his fastbreak jam cut the Lakers' lead to 67-64. Miller opened the Finals by sinking only one of 16 shots on Wednesday.

Perhaps Miller is just thawing from a tough winter. Croshere, meanwhile, is comfortable playing before hometown friends and family, two of who greeted him afterward donning yellow Pacers caps. One even donned Pacers sweatpants.

Austin Croshere goes for a layup against Shaquille O'Neal. Croshere scored 24 points in Game 2.(AP)

Croshere scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, and his 15-foot- jumper nudged Indiana to within 97-94 with 1:48 left to play. The former Santa Monica Crossroads School player said he hears the Big Aristotle's footsteps, whether real or imagined, in the post.

"Yeah, absolutely. He's always on your mind," Croshere said. "You've got to be conscious of him, because he's so long. It's hard to take a runner or a floater, or take it on into him. There's just nothing you can do.

"You're talking about a giant. He must have touched the ball on 100 percent of their plays, or close to that."

A giant hole for Indiana? Not so fast, according to Croshere and many Pacers who grunted and laughed in the locker room afterward when it was intimated that their 0-2 deficit might be insurmountable.

"We let a heck of an opportunity slip away," Croshere said. "But with the type of season we had at home, the way we've already beaten them at home and our confidence at home, we'll be all right."

After chatting with hordes of media, Croshere was coaxed into doing one television interview in a nearby room. He left barefooted, and minutes later he was coaxed into doing another live shot. Then another.

Finally, he toweled off from a shower, slipped on black suede shoes (no socks) a white silk T-shirt and a lightweight beige suit. He dried off his short hair with a white towel before gulping from a water bottle and turning around to face another dozen questions or so.

Austin Croshere was a media maven in his own hometown during the NBA Finals.

So why wasn't he smiling?