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"Once I went up and saw Robert Horry and Shaq, I knew Yao had to be open,'' Francis said. "It happened so slow to me, watching the play, and I was so happy to see him dunk the ball.''
O'Neal, who frequently called Yao "my brother," said, "That just shows I get respect. He's 7-5 and they still have to double- and triple-[team]. Don't say 'he' [blocked my shots], say, 'they.' "
"He's a great player. He's going to become better," said O'Neal, who seldom offers such praise to another big man. "I've been known to step up to every challenge, and it's another challenge that I have to face, and it's another challenge that he has to face."
But perhaps in the process, Yao planted the seeds of a new rivalry, one O'Neal hasn't had since the last crop of great centers -- Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Alonzo Mourning -- began to fade in the late 1990s.
Bryant isn't so sure.
"Maybe one day," he said. "Maybe one day."
"I think a lot of the focus is due to the controversy because some people took umbrage to Shaq's remarks," said the Lakers' deep thinker, Phil Jackson. "I can't remember a matchup with Shaq that is
comparable."
O'Neal, who frequently called Yao "my brother," said, "That just shows I get respect. He's 7-5 and they still have to double- and triple-[team]. Don't say 'he' [blocked my shots], say, 'they.' "
"He's a great player. He's going to become better," said O'Neal, who seldom offers such praise to another big man. "I've been known to step up to every challenge, and it's another challenge that I have to face, and it's another challenge that he has to face."
But perhaps in the process, Yao planted the seeds of a new rivalry, one O'Neal hasn't had since the last crop of great centers -- Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Alonzo Mourning -- began to fade in the late 1990s.
Bryant isn't so sure.
"Maybe one day," he said. "Maybe one day."
"I think a lot of the focus is due to the controversy because some people took umbrage to Shaq's remarks," said the Lakers' deep thinker, Phil Jackson. "I can't remember a matchup with Shaq that is
comparable."
