Hall of Fame coach and ESPN analyst Dr. Jack Ramsay was in Los Angeles on Sunday when the Heat beat the Lakers, and files this report on the much-talked about Shaq-Kobe feud.

	Shaquille O'Neal looks for an open Lakers teammate while Miami's Brian Grant (44) and Tim Hardaway put on the defense.

LOS ANGELES -- Before the Lakers game against Portland on Christmas day, I asked Zen master coach Phil Jackson if he had brought together his two shooting stars, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to discuss the rumblings of discontent between them that were reaching public ears. He answered, "No -- not yet."

He had spoken to them individually, however. Phil had observed in the early season how Bryant was into a more up tempo mode than last year and had a talk with him about it. Kobe stated that he had worked on his game over the summer, was ready to take it to a higher level, and wanted the opportunity to do so. Phil responded that it was all right for him to expand his offensive game, so long as it was done within the framework of the triangle offense, and reiterated that the Lakers had in O'Neal the most dominating big man in the game, and that the offense must begin with him.

	Kobe

	Shaq

But Kobe resisted a plan that would require him to walk the ball up-court when he wanted to get out and run, feeling that he and the Lakers were missing out on quick, high percentage chances to score. He was like a race horse being reined in, when all he wanted was to bolt from the gate and get to the finish line first. He said, "They want me to tone my game down and I haven't turned it up yet."

Kobe told his coach that he wants to be the best player in the game and lead the league in scoring, as well as win championships. Jackson acknowledges that Kobe is the "best perimeter player in the game."

Shaq, of course, is happy to be the designated Main Man. He has repeatedly asserted that he wants the ball with each team possession. He rightfully feels that no team can stop him, and also proclaims his unselfishness, stating, "If they double-team me, I'll pass to my teammates." And he does. Shaq has become the best passing center in the game, averaging about 4 assists against about 3 turnovers -- a high ratio for a center.

According to Shaq, "If you want the big dog to guard the big yard, you've got to give the big dog something to do. You've got to give him toys. You've got to feed him. You can't have him sit and do nothing." This is implying that if you want him to defend, you must keep him involved in the offense.

Now, as they approach the halfway point of the season, Shaq yet gets annoyed when Kobe pulls up in transition to shoot jumpers; and Kobe sometimes avoids passing to Shaq when his team needs a hoop in crunch time, knowing the opposition will foul to put the 40 percent free thrower on the line.

But I see no animosity between the two. They are two highly-skilled, fiercely competitive and proud players who happen to be on the same team. And, for all of the concerns about their relative roles in the team's offense, the Lakers lead the league in points scored (102 ppg) and field goal percentage (.476).

	“	I would stress the need for urgency. Energetic team play isn't a switch that can simply be clicked 'on' for high performance. It is the product of sustained, united effort to reach an agreed upon common goal. ”
		— Dr. Jack

It is in team defense that the Lakers show the greatest departure from their performance in the 2000 championship season. Last year they led the league in field goal percentage defense (.416) and were sixth in points allowed (92 ppg). After Sunday's surprise home loss to the Miami Heat, the Lakers rank 18th in percentage defense (.442) and 25th in points against (98 ppg).

Before the Heat game, I asked coach Jackson if he were concerned about his team's defense and, if he was, what could he do to improve it. I was surprised at his answer. "It's not so much our defense as the up tempo nature of our offense. We may be defending even better than last year, but because we're running the ball more and taking perimeter shots in transition, opposing teams are getting fast break scores against us that are high percentage."

The remedy, according to coach Phil, is to get back to a slower paced game where the ball goes into Shaq, the floor is spaced properly, and the offense is positioned to keep the backcourt covered when the opposition gets its chance to score.

I agree that an up tempo style gives both teams a chance to score more readily, but it shouldn't be the rationale for the Lakers' sharp decline from the league's elite to one of its weakest in those telling defensive numbers -- points and field goal percentage allowed.

A case in point is Sacramento. No team runs the ball more than the Kings -- second in the league in scoring (101 ppg). Yet they've improved defensively from allowing 102 ppg in 2000 (27th) to 92 ppg this season (11th); and from permitting a liberal shooting percentage of .452 last season (19th) to .422 (5th) this year. The Kings have the third-best record in the league and own the best points differential mark at 6.9.

	“	If you want the big dog to guard the big yard, you've got to give the big dog something to do. You've got to give him toys. You've got to feed him. You can't have him sit and do nothing. ”
		— Shaq

From my courtside broadcast position in the Staples Center, I watched an aroused Miami team out hustle the Lakers 103-92 this past Sunday, and noticed lapses in coordinated rotations from double-teams and penetrations to cover open Heat shooters. It was also apparent that the Lakers' interior defense isn't as intense as it was last season. Shaq appears cautious and tentative -- perhaps out of fear of accumulating personal fouls, although he had only one for the entire game.

In the fourth period, he played too far off Anthony Mason, allowing Mase to score two critical 12-foot jumpers. A bit earlier, he sagged off Brian Grant on two other occasions and Grant buried two from inside the top of the circle. Shaq finished the game with 8 rebounds and no blocked shots. Kobe worked hard, but was guilty of some reaching fouls, and fouled out in the closing minutes of the game.

In this game, the Lakers, fourth best in rebounds, were outboarded 44-39 by the Heat, which ranks last in that category. They yielded 103 points to a team that averages 87 ppg. The veteran Ron Harper summed up their performance with a terse "We stink."

The Lakers offense was spasmodic and predictable. Kobe (27 field goal attempts) and Shaq (22) took 49 of the team's 75 shots from the field. Shaq was 7-16 from the free throw line; Kobe played 45 minutes before fouling out with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 0 assists and 6 turnovers. Among the remaining players, only Isaiah Rider worked aggressively for his shot to score 12 points.

What's a coach to do with a team that is out of sync and underachieving? If it were me, I'd have a no-holds-barred meeting with Shaq and Kobe to attempt to get them on the same page and to realize that each needs the other for the team to perform at its optimum. Then I'd have another meeting with the whole team. I would stress the need for change -- first in defense -- if the players expect to have a chance to repeat as champions. The next step is to put the words into effect on the practice floor; then apply them to the game performance.

I would stress the need for urgency. Energetic team play isn't a switch that can simply be clicked "on" for high performance. It is the product of sustained, united effort to reach an agreed upon common goal.

But Phil Jackson has a different style. He's an extremely patient man who likes for players to work out their own problems. He reasons that it's better for his players to make changes of their own volition, than for him to impose his demands on them.

Phil is very good with this tactic. It's won him seven championship rings. He did it that way at Chicago with Michael Jordan. He was able to do it last season in Los Angeles with Kobe and Shaq, and he's striving for the same results this year.

He may have to take a more active role this time around.