Shaq may have loaned Kobe the spotlight in Game 3, but he took it back in the deciding Game 4. Scoring 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting, the Big Fella also pulled down 10 rebounds en route to wrapping up his third consecutive Finals MVP award.
Keith Van Horn endured yet another subpar game in the Nets' 113-107 loss. In 31 minutes of play, the New Jersey forward scored only seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. But perhaps the most telling stat in Van Horn's performance was that he didn't get to the free-throw line at all.
Throughout the Finals, Mitch Richmond was begging Phil Jackson to put him on the floor. But while the veteran sharpshooter merely watched Games 1, 2 and 3, he made it into Game 4 and into the boxscore. He hit a jumper with 13.2 seconds left to score L.A.'s finals points of the series.
Why should Game 4 start any differently than any of the previous three games? Shaq again got the Lakers off to a fast start by schooling Nets center Todd MacCulloch from the opening tip. He hit his first four shots, scoring nine points in the first seven minutes of the game.
Photo Credits: Shaq/top (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images), Van Horn (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images), Richmond (AP), Shaq/bottom (Ray Amati/NBAE/Getty Images)