Possible Shaquille O'Neal Vs. Kobe Bryant Playoff Match-Up

Sure, the last several Christmas games involving Shaquille O'Neal versus Kobe Bryant were highly hyped events with a little bit of intrigue just because the two had a heated history. But the game was meaningless. First of all, just about any game played on December 25^th of the NBA season has no chance of being crucial to a team's post-season or championship hopes. Secondly, during those first three match-ups, Shaquille was on a championship contender and Kobe was not.

Now the stakes have changed. Shaq has made the move back to the NBA's Western Conference by joining the Suns via trade, and the collision course for a Kobe-Shaq match up is inevitable. Of course, that inevitability comes from the Lakers-Suns game on February 20^th on ESPN. However, it is the more uncertain match up that raises the stakes of this social-rivalry between Kobe and Shaq.

When the Suns traded for Shaq, they pretty much bet the farm on this big man's shoulders. And despite what many people think, Shaq can carry the load. He has to get healthy, and that may or may not be in time for a February 20^th matchup, but once he is in good physical shape, you can best believe that he can do everything that the Phoenix Suns expect him to do. All he has to do is play defense, dunk the ball when Nash throws it to him, and wear down the other team's big men on both sides of the court. If Shaq can do that, the Suns' only limit is the sky.

As for the Lakers, management shut Kobe Bryant up by bringing Pau Gasol into the fold. Now Kobe has a veteran player on the court with him that is threat to go for 30 on any given night. When Andrew Bynum returns to the lineup, that gives the Lakers one of the biggest lineups in the West, and more importantly, it opens up the perimeter offense for Kobe. If Gasol and Bynum can play their best basketball this post-season, and if Kobe can be Kobe, then the Lakers have no limitations on their post-season goals either.

Thus, if the NBA can only be so kind, we could possibly have a Suns-Lakers match up in this year's playoffs. It's impossible to say where in the playoffs they will meet at this point in February, but if one were to take an educated guess, it is reasonable to believe that the Suns will hold on the first seed and that the Lakers will finish in 4^th or 5^th place. Assuming both teams advance to the second round (which is a big assumption), we could finally have Kobe vs. Shaq match up they we all have really wanted to see.

Granted, this match-up won't be what we want to see on the court. It is not as if Shaq is in his prime anymore, nor is he even the focal point of the team he currently plays for. However, we all know what this matchup is about. It's about bragging rights. Shaq already has one championship without Kobe Bryant, while #24 hasn't even been able to get out of the first round since Shaq left Los Angeles. So you know Kobe would love to knock Shaq out of the post-season to get rid of some of the sting of having watched Shaq get a ring in 2006.

Yet, let's not forget the animosity that already exists between these two teams. The Suns have knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs for the past 2 post-seasons, including a stunning comeback from a 3-1 deficit in 2006.

So with that in the minds of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, the addition of Shaq to the Suns only makes this potential Suns-Lakers playoff matchup that much more personal. Shaq supporters across the nation will be rooting for the Suns, and Kobe lovers will be cheering for the Lakers.

Sure, Kobe and Shaq will probably shake hands at the beginning of the first game and try to play down all of the media hype that will surround this potential series. But the first time Shaq walks out of the Forum with a win or Kobe hits a big shot in the concluding seconds, you can forget about pleasantries and the handshaking. The battle will be on, and all of the nice stuff you heard after their Christmas Day matchups will be nonexistent. For these two players, it's all about the rings, and the fact that they might have to go thru one another to get it, means one of them has to be beat down, and you know and I know, neither one of them takes too kindly to taking a blow.