The NBA Playoffs didn’t need any more fuel, but Shaquille O’Neal of the Phoenix Suns, combined with Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, are preparing for a battle royale this spring. Let’s say, with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers… it’s on.

Shaquille O’Neal won a title with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat. Now, as the Miami Heat rebuild, Shaquille O’Neal has returned not just to the West, but to the same division as the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaquille O’Neal is a student of the game, and there’s nothing he loves more than joining the ranks of the division with his old friends Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson.

Shaquille O’Neal has a lot of help with him at the Phoenix Suns, and this spring he’s gearing up for a simply epic NBA playoff-time matchup between these two teams and all of these personalities. Pray that the matchup gods put them in the same group before perhaps San Antonio gets its hands on any of them, but maybe this year the San Antonio Spurs should be the ones hoping to be left out of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles. lakers. shape.

So Phil Jackson smirks, waiting, probably looking forward to a challenge from his former protégé, Shaquille O’Neal. You know Kobe Bryant is in a rage, wanting to stop what could be Shaq’s fifth NBA ring. Between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the only score that matters is 4, which is the number of Championships Shaquille O’Neal has, and 3, which is Kobe Bryant’s number.

The difference is that Shaq’s fourth was won without Kobe, whereas Kobe has been languishing in mediocrity until now, after Shaq. They may very well get in the way of each other on the way to the finals. Old scores to settle, new allies to help settle them.