Kobe Spoils Shaq's Debut

Over two weeks ago, Kobe Bryant and Co. were able to spoil the debut of newcomers Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks in a blockbuster deal that may have been a response to the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol. Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to spoil the other team's debut of a "new day" after the mega-deal. For now, it appears that Kobe's team is superior, as he dropped 41 points to put the Lakers in a statistical tie for the division lead with the Suns.

For a 35-going-on-36 year old who hasn't been on the court in over a month, Shaquille O'Neal hardly disappointed. Although he was quiet for most of the first half, he scored his first points as a Sun in a monstrous dunk over DJ Mbenga. O'Neal scored nine of his 15 points in the final quarter, but the Suns could seemingly never take the lead against the mighty Lakers.

Shaquille O'Neal looked fresher than he has been this past season with Miami. He also ran the floor well and was able to make his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor. Foul trouble was still a problem for O'Neal, who was just one mishap short of getting disqualified from the game.

As I predicted just after the deal went down, Amare Stoudemire flourished with the presence of Shaq. Phil Jackson did not hesitate to double-team Shaq, and O'Neal was able to hit Amare with some nice passes en route to a 37-point performance on 13-of-24 shooting. However, STAT disappointed on the defensive end of the floor against Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Both were able to blow by Amare on several occasions. Stoudemire is very agile and athletic, but needs a bigger commitment on defense. If he can't even defend Pau Gasol, he'll get killed by Dirk Nowitzki.

Steve Nash was able to have everything going for him in a 26-point, eight-assist performance last night. Grant Hill also had the hot hand, going eight-of-13 from the field in a 17-point performance. Barbosa and Diaw were able able to notch double-digit performances. However, it could not match the performances of Bryant, Gasol, and Odom, who combined to score 92 points.
One O'Neal is able to find a rhythm with this Phoenix Suns team, this squad will be scary. O'Neal obviously has the motivation, but going out to 17 feet is just not his game. There is plenty of time for Shaq to get accustomed to this talented team, and their best days are ahead of them.

Tomorrow, the Suns host the Boston Celtics in another nationally televised game on ESPN at 8:30. However, tonight is the second one-on-one debate between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. With 10 straight wins, Clinton might just become grimy. Don't forget to tune in for that.