Twelve years after the Los Angeles Lakers last won an NBA title, Shaquille O'Neal -- the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game, the regular season and the NBA Finals -- showed why centers have been at the heart of this tradition of the Lakers' success for 51 years.

O'Neal, scoring 41 points, paced the Lakers to a 116-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers to clinch their first NBA title since 1988, following in the grand tradition of Lakers championships with George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. O'Neal dominated the Finals from start to finish, averaging 38 points and 16 rebounds, joining Willis Reed and Michael Jordan as the only players in history to win the trifecta of MVP awards in one season.

The Pacers led for most of the game until O'Neal scored on a spectacular completion of a fast-break pass from Kobe Bryant, when he banked it in and crashed to the floor after being fouled with 9:02 left in the game. It was their first lead since the first quarter, and the Pacers never led again. O'Neal scored 13 points in the final quarter, and Bryant's four free throws in the final 13 seconds clinched the win. Bryant finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

"First of all, I want to thank Phil Jackson, the real coach of the year," O'Neal said, alluding to Jackson finishing second to Orlando's Doc Rivers.

"I'm happy, real happy. Now if I can work out my extension with (owner) Dr. (Jerry) Buss, we'll move on to the next order of business. Let's do it again next year."

This was the 12th NBA title for the Lakers organization, dating to 1949 when George Mikan was the star center. This time around, it was O'Neal. Pacers coach Larry Bird, who confirmed he is retired as coach and will decide his future very soon, says the core of O'Neal and Bryant have a chance to win for quite some time.

"With Shaquille the most dominating player in our league," Bird said, "they've got an opportunity to do something great for a number of years."

On Monday night in the bright lights of the Staples Center, with the partisan crowd of 18,997 poised to celebrate another championship, O'Neal began to score quickly. But the center and the Lakers didn't quite match the Pacers coming out of the blocks.

The Pacers continued to do a brilliant job of spreading the floor in the first half, and that very often produced open jumpers and clean shots inside. The result was their continued excellent shooting led by Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose, making 50 percent of their shots to take a 56-53 halftime lead. It could have been more were it not for turnovers by Mark Jackson and Austin Croshere at the end of the half.

At one point the Pacers led by 12, with Croshere coming off the bench with 10 points and Sam Perkins hitting two 3-pointers, as the Pacers bench outscored the Lakers reserves 19-7.

But O'Neal was there ... constantly. He had 15 of his 21 first-half points in the second quarter and Bryant scored 12 -- including a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in the half -- to cut into the lead.

Nonetheless, the first three quarters were clearly at the Pacers' ... uh, pace. They pushed the ball at will, and often caught the Lakers flat-footed. Were it not for O'Neal and the creative athleticism of Bryant, the Lakers would have gotten blown out in the opening half.

Gradually, the Lakers crept back into the game. More than just O'Neal, Bryant began to get into the lane and pressure defensively, and the Pacers' turnovers continued to kill them. The Lakers scored 14 points off six turnovers in the first half and an unusual 21 points off just nine turnovers in the game. They cut the lead to one twice in the final four minutes of the third period, but each time the Pacers answered.

"It was like a heavyweight fight and we wanted to win each round," said Miller, who had 25 points. "We won the first three quarters, but didn't in the fourth."

Miller and Rose were relentless. Rose's 17-foot turnaround jumper at the end of the third quarter over O'Neal was stunning, and an indication of the confidence with which he played, extending the lead back up to five.

But O'Neal was impossible to contend with, as he continuously went to the glass in offensive sets, on the boards, and finally on fast breaks. When Bryant hit him on a slick feed and he was fouled as he scored off the glass (landing hard on his left knee), O'Neal gave them a 91-90 lead.

NBA Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal finishes off the Pacers with 41 points. (AP)

It was more than the "Big Guy," however. The Lakers hit seven of their first eight shots of the quarter, including a two 3-pointers from Robert Horry and another from Rick Fox. Ultimately, it was O'Neal who just wore down the Pacers, helping the Lakers open up a seven-point lead.

The Pacers battled back to tie it with five minutes left, but that was it after a timeout. Horry, O'Neal and Bryant put the game away. The championship was clearly in their sights, as gradually, working it from both ends of the floor, the Lakers ended the Pacers' dream of a championship in their first trip to the Finals. With Bird leaving and six free agents on the roster, this appears to be the end for Indiana, despite team president Donnie Walsh's contention he wants to bring all the free agents back with their new coach ... presumably Bird's assistant Rick Carlisle, Isiah Thomas or Byron Scott.

Instead, the Lakers tradition starts with a new chapter, starring O'Neal, Bryant and a cast that will change under Jackson, who now has seven rings as a coach to go along with the one he won as a forward for the 1973 Knicks.

"What a way to start the millennium," Jackson said. "This was more than we could ever expect. The team really responded when it mattered most and now we have a championship. They had a lot of confidence and just kept coming back ... the spirit of this team was really special."

Watching the 28-year-old O'Neal take over this series, just as he did the entire regular season, validates his young career and the anticipation of more glory to come. Tears streamed down as the reality of winning sunk in.

"This is what it's all about," O'Neal said. "Yeah, now (I'm) the 'Big Champion.'"