EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Shaquille O'Neal can still dominate, as evidenced by the third quarter Tuesday night when he shot 8-of-9 -- mostly on ferocious dunks -- for 16 points.

	O'Neal

But it comes in bursts these days, not whole games.

And that, more than anything, is the biggest difference in the Los Angeles Lakers from last spring when they rolled through the playoffs with a 15-1 record.

Oh, the Lakers might still win their third straight NBA championship despite trailing the Sacramento Kings 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals, which resume Friday night with Game 6 at Staples Center.

The Lakers left Arco Arena looking mighty grim Tuesday night after the Kings beat them 92-91 on Mike Bibby's 22-foot jumper with 8.2 seconds remaining, but by Wednesday they were back to being their confident selves.

''I think we're going to embrace it,'' O'Neal said of the challenge facing the Lakers.

''It's not scary, it's just what it is,'' said Kobe Bryant, who missed a last-second jumper Tuesday night that could have given the Lakers a 3-2 lead. ''If we win, we go on to the seventh game. If we lose, we go on vacation.''

A seventh game, if necessary, will be Sunday in Sacramento.

If the Lakers manage to become the third team coached by Phil Jackson to three-peat, joining the Chicago Bulls of 1992-94 and 1996-98, it'll be with a different Shaq from the last two years.

At age 30, he should be at the peak of his career.

But he isn't because of the painful arthritic right big toe that has driven him to distraction all season.

And that's made it difficult for him to keep his weight down, run the floor and defend as well as he has in the past.

''Of course, yeah,'' O'Neal replied when a reporter pointed out he didn't appear as dominant or as quick as before.

''The foot?'' O'Neal was asked.

''Yeah,'' he replied.

Anti-inflammatories help, but O'Neal doesn't like taking them because of the possible damage they can do internally.

It's likely he'll undergo surgery sometime during the summer, which has been called a last resort but should relieve the pain.

''Not 100 (percent), not even close,'' O'Neal admitted of his physical condition.

And the frustration?

''I just try to play through all the pain,'' he replied.

O'Neal has often said he won't make excuses and is well enough to put up big numbers.

He's doing just that, just not as big as in other postseasons.

Take last year, when O'Neal became the first player ever to record back-to-back 40-point, 20-rebound efforts against the Kings to begin the conference semifinals, which the Lakers ultimately swept.

''It makes our day easier when Shaq goes for 44 and 22,'' teammate Rick Fox said.

O'Neal is averaging 24.6 points and 12.3 rebounds in 13 playoff games this season. Last year, he averaged 30.4 points and 15.4 rebounds in 16 games.

''The other guys have to step up and hit shots,'' O'Neal said. ''I've been trying to keep everybody involved.''

The Lakers were a 3-point machine in last year's playoffs, making 38.6 percent from long range. This year, it's 32.3 percent including 4-of-17 on Tuesday night.

''We've just got to knock some of them down,'' O'Neal said.

Hampered throughout Game 5 by foul trouble, O'Neal scored 12 points in the first quarter and 16 in the third, but none in the second or fourth. He ultimately fouled out with 3:22 left after playing six fourth-quarter minutes without taking a shot and 32 minutes overall.

Speaking of taking shots, O'Neal went to the foul line once, missing his only attempt. He averaged nearly eight free throws in his previous 12 playoff games and more than 10 per game in the regular season.

''Never, ever,'' O'Neal replied when asked if he's ever shot as few as one free throw in a game. ''It's never happened before.''

How many should he have taken?

''At least 10,'' he said.

''That's just unbelievable,'' Bryant said of O'Neal making only one trip to the foul line.

O'Neal said he thought three of the six fouls called against him were legitimate, but added: ''I don't want to make this like I'm complaining. I just want to go out and do what everyone else is doing.''