NEW YORK, 23 May 2004 — Shaquille O’Neal shone at both ends of the court, notching 27 points and grabbing 18 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-88 in Game One of the Western Conference finals on Friday.
O’Neal, who had been shooting only 38 percent for the playoffs, was also a surprising 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Kobe Bryant added 23 points, Karl Malone 17 and Derek Fisher 14. Latrell Sprewell paced the hosts T-Wolves with 23 points while Most Valuable Player Kevin Garnett had 16.
Sam Cassell also recorded 16 points despite spending long periods on the bench with a bad back and hip.
The T-Wolves were at a big disadvantage, an issue O’Neal touched upon in the post-game television interview. “We knew they had a tough Game Seven (against Sacramento in the semifinals) and they only had a day of rest,” he said.
The Lakers, seeking their fourth NBA championship in five years, had five days to prepare after eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs last Saturday.
“We just wanted to come up here and get a game,” O’Neal said.
Los Angeles led by two points at the half, 46-44. The score was tied at 67-67 before the Lakers turned it up a notch, reeling off 11 unanswered points to end the third period.
Minnesota closed within four points with six minutes remaining, then within two points on Sprewell’s jumper with four minutes on the clock. That was as close as the T-Wolves would get and when Fisher drained his fourth three-pointer with less than a minute to play to put the Lakers up by seven, it was all over.
Ex-Star Williams to Be Retried on Reckless Manslaughter Charge
In Somerville, New Jersey, former National Basketball Association star Jayson Williams will be retried for reckless manslaughter, the one criminal charge in which a jury deadlocked in Williams’ trial last month.
Prosecutor Steven Lember made the announcement on Friday, to the approval of the family of limousine driver Gus Christofi, who was shot and killed at Williams’ house in Feb. 14, 2002.
On April 30, Williams, the 36-year-old former New Jersey Nets standout, was found guilty of attempting to cover up the shooting of Christofi, 55, who was killed by a single shotgun blast. Williams was handling the shotgun at the time but claimed it malfunctioned and went off accidentally, hitting Christofi in the chest. He died within minutes.
Prosecutors claimed that after a night of drinking, Williams had recklessly picked up the loaded shotgun and handled it in such a way that Christofi was shot and killed.
The former NBA All-Star, who became a television broadcaster after his career was cut short by injuries, was found not guilty of charges of aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon with unlawful purpose. The jury of eight women and four men was unable to reach a verdict on the reckless manslaughter charge. The new trial on that charge will take place early next year.
College Mentor Montgomery Is Warriors’ New Coach
The Golden State Warriors named Stanford University’s Mike Montgomery as their new head coach Friday.
He succeeds Eric Musselman, 39, who was fired Thursday after leading the Warriors to a 75-89 record during his two years on their bench. Golden State was 37-45 in the regular season recently finished, the fourth worst record in the Western Conference.
Montgomery, 57, spent 18 years at Stanford, leading the Cardinal to 16 postseason tournaments. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year four times.
“We’re thrilled to bring a coach the caliber of Mike Montgomery into the fold,” Chris Mullin, Golden State’s executive vice president of basketball operations, told reporters.
“He’s had a tremendous amount of success throughout his career and we think he’ll be a very good fit for our organization.
