Wednesday, June 6 O'Neal leaping tall buildings again By Wayne Drehs ESPN.com LOS ANGELES -- A music video premiered on the nightly news here Monday. That's nothing new for the city of glitz and glamour, but it was entirely new for the individual it featured. This was not the latest from L.A. icons Snoop Dog, Ice Cube or even Dr. Dre. Instead, it was the latest mix and melodies from the city's biggest cult hero, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaquille O'Neal dunks over David Robinson during the Lakers' sweep of the Spurs. O'Neal's message in the spot was easy to identify -- from the familiar "S" on the rims of a Cadillac Escalade to that same "S" tattooed on the side of a flexing biceps -- O'Neal was comparing himself to Superman. It was just the latest reminder that despite all the attention surrounding Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and the possible comeback of one Michael Jordan, Shaq is still here. In his prime. Dominating. And few would tell him the Superman analogy is out of line. After all, though the spotlight may be brighter on Bryant, Shaq is still as vital to the Lakers' success as ever. "He is one of the greatest players ever in the middle," Sixers coach Larry Brown said Tuesday. "And he doesn't get enough credit." Imagine that. At 7-1, 315 pounds, O'Neal, who has busted loose for 29.3 points and 15.3 rebounds a game in these playoffs, is being overlooked. Overlooked for the NBA MVP award, in which he finished third behind Iverson and Tim Duncan. Jackson called the results "a slap in the face." And overlooked Tuesday at the NBA Finals Media Day, in which the biggest throngs of reporters were saved for Bryant and Iverson. Bryant could barely leave the Staples Center without being constantly bothered for more questions. O'Neal, on the other hand, quietly exited the arena, his monstrous hands wrapped around the hips of his son, whom he was buzzing through the air imitating -- who else? -- Superman. "A lot of people don't understand. They just don't get what he's all about," said forward Horace Grant, who's familiar with the superstar lifestyle having spent seven seasons with Michael Jordan in Chicago. "He's such a great person. His heart is as big as this arena in terms of making people laugh and just having fun. And that is what Superman is all about." “ He's such a great person. His heart is as big as this arena in terms of making people laugh and just having fun. And that is what Superman is all about." ” — Horace Grant on Shaquille O'Neal In the music video that was released Monday night, O'Neal hardly looks like the oversized kid that was seen scooting along the bowels of the Staples Center Tuesday in a green push cart used by the concession staff. He looks more like the rim-rockin', ain't-no-stoppin' center that Philadelphia's Dikembe Mutombo has the unenviable task of trying to stop this series. Lakers coach Phil Jackson points to the Mutombo-O'Neal matchup as the most critical in the series. "Obviously, Kobe versus Iverson brings a lot of attention," he said. "But the matchup is going to be Dikembe and Shaquille." Not too long ago, there was criticism of O'Neal. Basically, the beef was that his movie-making, video-creating, lyric-breaking antics were getting in the way of his "real" profession, basketball. Such is not the case anymore. While basketball remains the main focus, last year's MVP Trophy -- coupled with a championship ring -- has all but silenced those critics. Now comes a chance to add to that collection. And the new music video, which has a very Super Bowl Shuffle-type feel to it having been released on the eve of the NBA Finals, is one of the rare instances in which Shaq is back to his boasting ways. That's because ever since a mid-season feud with Bryant, which almost tore the team apart, Shaq has taken a backseat role to his young, flamboyant teammate. He's allowed Bryant to bask in the spotlight in exchange for the chance at a second straight championship. While some have suggested it was another great sales job by Jackson, who managed to sell Michael Jordan on trusting teammates, others have said it was generated by O'Neal, who at 29 is finally learning what it takes to win. Best PPG in NBA Finals Shaquille O'Neal has a good chance of becoming the all-time leader in NBA Finals points per game (Minimum: 10 games). Player PPG Gms Rick Barry 36.3 10 Shaquille O'Neal 34.0 10 Michael Jordan 33.6 35 Jerry West 30.5 55 Bob Pettit 28.4 25 Hakeem Olajuwon 27.5 17 At no point did the rocky relationship between the two stars come more full circle than in the Western Conference finals, when O'Neal constantly referred to Bryant as the best player in the NBA. Considering the recent past, the words spoke volumes. "I think he is a player that went through a lot to try to get to where people would accept his game, accept his talent, and I think it was time to, you know, hand him that," O'Neal said of Bryant. "Throughout the playoffs, he's just been playing so easy, playing so cool; letting it come to him. This isn't tennis or track or any individual sport; you have to play with five guys." Earlier in the season, that was O'Neal's complaint -- that Bryant was playing like one guy on the court. Bryant, meanwhile, privately believed that O'Neal was overweight. Whatever the case, the highly publicized rift appears to be well behind the Lakers' dynamic duo. "From a rainy, stormy day with thunder and lightning to sweet sunshine," Grant said of the change in the Bryant/O'Neal relationship. "I think it just took them some time to get together so they could build an individual confidence in one another. Now they have that. And look where we are as a team." Where they are now is on the verge of making history. The Lakers have won 19 in a row, including 11 straight in the playoffs. No team has ever won every game in the postseason. And at the center of it all is O'Neal, who has sacrificed his ego for a trophy. Lakers assistant Jim Cleamons said the maturation process is similar to the one he witnessed between Jordan and Scottie Pippen when he was an assistant in Chicago. "It's getting to that point, the difference being Scottie and Michael were both ball-handlers," Jackson said. "In this case, Kobe is the ball-handler and Shaq has to wait for the ball to come to him. One relies on the other. "But yeah, this is like Michael and Scottie. And that's what you want your teams to do -- play better as the season progresses so you are playing your best at this time of year. That's certainly where we are at." Just outside the Staples Center, on a tri-faced building that houses the Hotel Figueroa, exists three 12-story murals in black and white. One is of a fully extended Wilt Chamberlain lunging towards an imminent basket. Another is of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just releasing the tip of a basketball in a perfectly-orchestrated skyhook. The last is of O'Neal with his hands wrapped around the rim and the ball slicing through the basket at the tail end of a monster dunk. Whether O'Neal belongs in such company remains to be seen. But the opportunity to back up the billboard and back up the boasting music video begins Wednesday. "When I had the opportunity to come here, I was just saying to myself, I hope that my career will be mentioned in the same breath as Jerry (West), Wilt (Chamberlain), Magic (Johnson), guys like that," O'Neal said. "I haven't done anything yet, so hopefully, I'll get my name mentioned there one day." Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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