PHILADELPHIA -- Being a 7-footer himself, Greg Foster is amazed at what Shaquille O'Neal can do on the floor to show off his skills.

The dance floor.

	Shaquille O'Neal, right, can do more on a court than block shots and throw down dunks.

"You see him break dancing all over the place. I mean, he can dance," Foster said. "He's got good rhythm. All of that means something when it comes to basketball."

O'Neal has gotten down in the NBA Finals, getting into quite a groove against the Philadelphia 76ers. He put on another stunning display of power basketball with 34 points and 14 rebounds on Wednesday night in the Los Angeles Lakers' 100-86 win that put the defending champs on the verge of a repeat.

However, the Shaq that has been showcased the past four games is nothing compared to the Shaq the Lakers get to see in practice. Free from opponents' double and triple teams, O'Neal can be the finesse 7-foot-1, 330-pound center he professes to be.

"I can do a lot more than what I'm showing. ... I promise you I can," O'Neal said.

Having Dikembe Mutombo draped all over his back has prevented O'Neal from showing off his killer crossover drive. But he's had his moments, as in Game 4 when he sank a double-clutch shot in the lane -- a la George Gervin -- just before the half.

His nine assists in a near-quaruple double effort in Game 2 reaffirmed his status as the best passing big man in the game. It's his obsession to be the game's biggest point guard that leaves his teammates in awe.

"When he rebounds the ball, you sort of hold your breath a little bit," Lakers forward Horace Grant said. "He dribbles the ball down the court and passes it off like Magic Johnson. That's one incredible thing a big guy isn't supposed to be able to do."

"He is sort of a freak," Lakers guard Brian Shaw said. "Basically because of his size and the fact he can do some of those things (like a guard). It kind of makes some of us envious because, me being 6-6, it seems I should be able to be more nimble than him and do a better job of some the things that he does. But I can't. That's just a tribute to what kind of guy he is."

Foster, who bore the brunt of many Shaq attacks when he was a backup center in Utah, is most impressed with O'Neal's crossover, which he displayed in the opening minutes of Game 1. O'Neal spun around Mutombo and double-pumped a shot with his right hand, prompting cheers of "MVP! MVP!" from the Staples Center crowd.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson would much rather have O'Neal anchor himself in the paint, where he's virtually unstoppable. At practice, O'Neal's teammates egg him on to see what else he can do.

	“	I think I'm a very skillful player. I've studied a lot of big men. ... It may just look that way because I play with a lot of ferocity. ”
		— Shaquille O'Neal, Lakers center

"We'll push and prod him to go ahead and handle the ball up and down the court or maybe do a crossover dribble on a guy. He can do all those things. He does them in practice and does them just messing around," Foster said. "But once you do them in a game, you gain that confidence and believe you can really do this.

"He's 350 pounds, but he's not a big slug. He can move. He's that good of an athlete."

At age 24, O'Neal was the youngest to be named to the NBA's 50 greatest players list. Some criticized the selection since O'Neal, while still with the Magic, had yet to fully develop his game and had spent just four years in the league.

The decision is no longer questioned, says Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons.

"Now he's gone out there and proved that he is worthy and that he is one of the best," Cleamons said.

O'Neal considers his game to be 70 percent power and 30 percent finesse. But it's all by choice. Just the other day, his bodyguard was telling him what a shame it will be for the public not to see his complete game.

"I don't have to just turn around and play mean and bite, just throw people out of the way to score," O'Neal said. "I think I'm a very skillful player. I've studied a lot of big men. ... It may just look that way because I play with a lot of ferocity."

When he's not showing off that child-like, ear-to-ear grin, that is. Said Grant: "He's a kid out there having fun -- but trapped inside a massive body."