O'Neal makes a difference for Suns

Jim Mone, Associated Press

Phoenix Suns' Boris Diaw pressures Minnesota's Craig Smith as Smith passes the ball in the first quarter of Wednesday's NBA game.

The big veteran showed Al Jefferson and the Timberwolves that he still has something left.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: November 28, 2008 - 7:24 AM

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PHOENIX 110, WOLVES 102 Up next: at Oklahoma City 7 p.m. Friday • TV: FSN (1130-AM)

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Timberwolves star forward Al Jefferson admits Shaquille O'Neal was his favorite player until the big guy dunked on him during Jefferson's rookie season five years ago.

His opinion probably didn't change any in Wednesday's 110-102 loss to Phoenix at Target Center.

The Wolves won only 22 games a season ago, but they defeated the accomplished Suns both times at Target Center after Jefferson simply destroyed Amare Stoudemire and his offensive-minded teammates inside.

Those two games might have convinced Phoenix General Manager Steve Kerr to gamble on a February trade that brought from Miami O'Neal and his four championship rings for Shawn Marion.

On Wednesday, Jefferson went for 28 points and 17 rebounds that included a club-record 12 on the offensive backboards. But it was O'Neal's hulking presence -- and 18-point, 10-rebound, three-block game -- that loomed largest on a night when the Wolves never led only three days after winning by 26 points at Detroit.

This time, the Wolves allowed the Suns, league leaders in field-goal percentage, to shoot 68 percent in a first quarter when they took seven-point leads three different times, turning that into 16-point margin by halftime and to as many as 18 in the second half.

Afterward, Wolves coach Randy Wittman called himself "shocked" by his team's "lackadaiscal" start, particularly when they had the chance to parlay Sunday's runaway victory into their first winning streak of the season.

"I thought this group would be jacked sky-high and it was kind of the opposite," Wittman said. "You can't let another team shoot 70 percent in the first quarter. It's like we had a pact with some of those guys: 'You let me get mine and I'll' ... It's almost like we were hoping it'd happen. In Detroit, we made it happen."

Jefferson's 12 offensive rebounds surpassed by one the team record previously held by Kevin Garnett and Felton Spencer, but it wasn't nearly enough to counter Steve Nash's 20 points (eight of them in the final four minutes) and O'Neal's thunderous presence.

Since that unexpected trade nine months ago, the Suns have been two teams in one -- "A Shaq team and a non-Shaq team," coach Terry Porter said -- whether they were coached by Mike D'Antoni last season or Porter this season and often both in the same game.

On Tuesday, Porter sat O'Neal for a game at Oklahoma City -- he has rested O'Neal twice this season for one half of back-to-back games -- and the Suns rallied from 16 points behind to win 99-98.

When the Wolves pulled within 87-80 with seven minutes left, O'Neal provided six points -- including an unstoppable alley-oop dunk -- in the Suns' answering 10-3 run.

"Shaq is a big dude," said Wolves point guard Randy Foye, who followed Sunday's 23-point, 14-assist game with 17 points and five assists. "Even though they might say he's not the same any more, when you go into that lane and you see that big '32' coming closer, most of the guys are either expecting to get hit or get their shot blocked. He's a presence in there, trust me."

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