Lakers Coach Phil Jackson didn't sound disappointed that he was passed over in favor of Philadelphia 76ers Coach Larry Brown for the honor of coaching the U.S. basketball team that will play in the Olympic qualifier this summer. Brown likely will coach the Olympic team in 2004 in Athens, Greece.

"One of the reasons I put my name in the ring, allowed myself to be nominated, was that I knew there was a chance [Shaquille O'Neal] would play, and if we wanted the best players, I was willing to sacrifice my summers," Jackson said.

"So it's kind of a relief now for both of us."

O'Neal, who played on the Olympic team in 2000, had said he would consider playing again, but only if Jackson were coaching the team. Although O'Neal isn't expected to play now, Lakers co-star Kobe Bryant already has said he wants to be on the team, regardless of who is coaching it.

A fresh look

For the first time this season, Magic Coach Doc Rivers started his dream lineup, placing Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller on the perimeter. Point guard Darrell Armstrong went to a sixth-man role. Both moves have been anticipated.

Rivers has been waiting to unveil the starting trio of Hill, McGrady and Miller for three years.

"We had to wait for Grant to get his feet up under him -- literally," Rivers said.

Now, Rivers has four-fifths of the starting lineup he wants to use. When Horace Grant fully recovers from left-knee surgery, Rivers would like to move Pat Garrity to the bench and start Grant alongside Shawn Kemp. Then, the Magic would be big enough to compete inside and have a size advantage on the perimeter.

Cautious steps

Hill admitted that in his past three games, he tried unsuccessfully to play through soreness in his left ankle.

"I was limited in those games," said Hill, who hadn't played in a week before Wednesday night. "Those were rough games for me. I did what I could do, and it wasn't much."

In those three games, he scored eight, 10 and two points and played a total of seven quarters. His admission is a departure from last season, when he never would say he didn't feel well, instead attributing his problems to "rust." Now that the Magic have seen the real Hill play, they can tell whenever he is suffering from ankle problems.

"That has been a luxury," Rivers said of knowing Hill better. "You notice it right away. You notice his first step. You notice the pep. It's not a guess anymore."

Leaving his mark

Here's one for the fact box: O'Neal holds the Lakers' all-time record for most points scored in a game against the Magic: 39 on Feb. 18, 2000.

And he also holds the Magic's all-time record for most points in a game against the Lakers: 46 on March 8, 1995.

Basketball's Great Debate finally hit the floor Wednesday night. Magic-Lakers. You know what that meant.

Tracy McGrady or Mark Madsen?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.

"Hey, T-Mac, I called ESPN and voted for you," Darrell Armstrong said as he left a happy Magic locker room.

That poll actually asked who's better, McGrady or Kobe Bryant? With all due respect to Madsen, the Lakers' loveable, rhythm-impaired center, the real question is not so easily answered. It is quickly becoming one of those questions for the ages.

Bird or Magic? Stones or Beatles? Boxers or briefs?

There is no wrong answer, only different ones. Though one thing is now beyond debate.

McGrady is better.

The record crowd at the TD Waterhouse Centre sure thought so after T-Mac faked a spin that made Bryant look like Madsen trying to dance at the last L.A. title celebration. The crowd laughed at poor, defenseless Kobe, who doesn't suffer indignity well.

"I normally don't retaliate," he said.

Bryant blew past McGrady on the baseline and hammered down a dunk that was felt all the way back in L.A.

Ergo, Kobe is better.

That's how this debate goes. It cannot be settled in one game, though we can tell you who has the better team. That would be McGrady, who had proven commodities like Mike Miller, Darrell Armstrong and (sometimes) Grant Hill to help him. Bryant had Soumaila Samake, Stanislav Medvedenko and Jannero Pargo. The fact management has let Kobe's supporting cast turn into the U.N. intramural team may eventually cost L.A. a fourth consecutive title.

Well, there's always that Shaq guy. Orlando couldn't defend him, but somehow the Andrew DeClercq-Shawn Kemp-Warren Sapp combo contained him. The best chance the Magic had of actually stopping O'Neal came at halftime. Sapp, wearing a (we pause for a melancholy moment of reflection) Shaq Magic jersey, gave the prodigal center a handshake and a hug.

If only Sapp had mistaken Shaq for Green Bay lineman Chad Clifton. But that's another cheap-shot story. The cheaper-by-the-dozen shots Wednesday were flowing from McGrady and Bryant. Not in words, but in the 59 combined attempts.

"I really wasn't trying to get caught up in the one-on-one," McGrady said.

How could he not? Players are programmed to downplay such rivalries, which is sort of like Chevy pretending Ford doesn't exist.

"Oh, he was up for it," Armstrong said of McGrady.

He was throwing up everything, including his lunch. McGrady stared down the flu the way he eyed Bryant after he hit a jumper. Or when he slid past Kobe and finger-rolled in a basket. Bryant then drove the lane and tomahawked another dunk.

"They're both great," Doc Rivers said. "Leave it at that."

You might as well ask people to stop debating boxers or briefs. Some say Bryant is a better defender. He also has the ultimate last line of defense backing him up in O'Neal.

Shaq lightens Kobe's basketball burden, but his presence can mute individual brilliance. McGrady can pretty much do what he wants, which included nine assists Wednesday. Kobe came back with 10 rebounds, one more than Shaq.

"They are the two best," said O'Neal, conveniently overlooking himself.

If Kobe vs. T-Mac were a regular production, the NBA wouldn't have to rely on Charles Barkley kissing a donkey's rear end to generate national attention. How sweet would it be to see the Great Debate played out more than twice a year?

For now, we'll just have to savor the drives, the spins, the dunks and Wednesday's final results. T-Mac had 38. Kobe had 38. Madsen had 0.

That pretty much settles that.

For once, it was different.

For once, the Orlando Magic had all the fun.

For once, fans could see Shaquille O'Neal in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform and feel a different sorrow.

Sorrow for O'Neal, not themselves.

As the season wears on, O'Neal will reclaim his dominance, and the Lakers will become the Lakers again. And this city will frown again. Wednesday, though, was a night for the new, not the old.

The Magic beat the three-time defending champion Lakers 112-102 before an announced sellout crowd of 17,283 at TD Waterhouse Centre, the largest in franchise history.

Tracy McGrady is the star here now, and maybe after this game, those still hibernating and depressed will realize it.

Weakened by a stomach virus, McGrady was courageous and determined as he led the Magic (9-7) to their first victory over Shaq and the Lakers since Nick Anderson hit a dramatic game-winning shot on Feb. 22, 1998. The Lakers (5-11) had beaten Orlando seven straight times.

McGrady scored 38 points and added nine assists and six rebounds. He won an entertaining duel with Lakers star Kobe Bryant with an array of fakes, jumpers and timely defensive stops.

Bryant, who played with a bruised left shin, finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds, but he could not stop McGrady when it mattered.

"He's going to get his," McGrady said of the matchup. "I'm going to get mine."

When McGrady was done getting his, he had this arena loud again. Fans were mocking Bryant, chanting, "KO-BE! KO-BE!"1

After Shawn Kemp grabbed a rebound and muscled a layup between two defenders for a 106-96 lead, ears tingled because of the noise.

The outcome was no longer in question with a minute left, but many fans stayed instead of rushing to beat traffic.

The party was on.

"That's the most I've seen them into a game, excluding the playoffs," forward Pat Garrity said of the record-setting crowd.

This city may not get over losing O'Neal to the Lakers, a move that shifted the balance of power in the NBA, but it isn't doing so badly after all.

The Lakers' struggles continue. It was their second loss in a row. Even with O'Neal, who had 28 points and nine rebounds, back in the lineup, they remain far from the team that has dominated the league.

Mike Miller made his third consecutive start and had 22 points as the Magic went to the anticipated big lineup of McGrady, Miller and Grant Hill on the perimeter. Hill finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, but he sat out the fourth quarter. Back in a sixth-man role, Armstrong had 14 points.

Between O'Neal's domination and Andrew DeClercq's hustle, McGrady and Bryant had some thrilling moments.

Late in the second quarter, they provided exquisite back-to-back highlights. McGrady backed down Bryant, faked right, lost him, turned left and hit an 8-foot fadeaway. On the next possession, Bryant drove on McGrady for a dunk and then drew a technical for hanging on the rim.

Bryant's message was clear.

Let's get it on.

McGrady responded to the challenge.

"They went at it," Hill said. "They were going at it, probably, like high-schoolers there for a while. It was definitely fun."

Bryant, who hates losing, only could sneer and try to deflect the Kobe/T-Mac talk.

"It wasn't special at all," Bryant said.

On this night, in this city, it was.

Head coach Doc Rivers says that the Magic should retire Shaquille O'Neal's number when Shaq retires.

"He led this team to a championship series," Rivers said. "He put this team on the map."

Rivers pointed out that Milwaukee has retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's number, even though he played there only early in his career.

MANY CAMERAS ON MAGIC

ESPN had 23 cameras trained on the court for Wednesday night's game, including one embedded in the floor under the basket. A more typical national telecast would involve just 10-15 cameras, and a Sunshine Network telecast even fewer.

RECORD CROWD

The 17,283 was the largest in Magic history, a feat made possible by 35 handicapped seats added to TD Waterhouse Centre in the offseason. It was the first sellout of the year.

The Dec. 6 game with Washington and Michael Jordan is headed toward a sellout, too. Just 1,500 tickets remained as of Wednesday night.

HORACE BACK ON MONDAY?

Horace Grant could return to action as early as Monday night vs. the Celtics, head coach Doc Rivers said. Grant has not played since the season opener Oct. 29 due to a sore left knee.

FEEDING THE HOMELESS

Magic players and staff will serve breakfast this morning at the Coalition for the Homeless in downtown Orlando from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. Rivers, Grant Hill, Pat Burke, Ryan Humphrey and Dee Brown will be manning the serving spoons.

In what should have been his finest moment of the young season, Tracy McGrady's shoulders slumped and his head drooped Wednesday night. The sellout crowd roared and, in turn, he winced. And time and again, seemingly after each score, he celebrated by clutching at his stomach.

McGrady's insides cramped most of the night and he even thought about reaching for the courtside trash can by the end of the third quarter. But other than that, the night was filled with sheer delight for the Orlando Magic superstar.

Despite playing through a nagging stomach virus, McGrady dominated virtually every phase of Orlando's through 112-102 thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 38 points and handing out a game-high nine assists.

"It was pretty bad out there and my stomach kept cramping up on me," a bleary-eyed McGrady said after the game. "The second half it felt really bad, but I pushed through it."

Did he ever. In what was an epic showdown with quite possibly his only peer in the NBA -- Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant -- McGrady made 12 of 28 shots and 12 of his 16 free throws. He scored from afar (two 3-pointers) and had two driving shots over massive center Shaquille O'Neal late in the game to seal the victory for the Magic. By the end of the game, many of the 17,283 fans inside the TD Waterhouse Centre were chanting M-V-P, M-V-P at McGrady.

"He was really sick and was about to throw up at the end of the third quarter," Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "But when a guy is playing that well you tend to just ignore him and keep feeding him the ball."

Orlando, which never trailed, defeated the Lakers for the first time since February of 1998, ending a seven-game losing streak. Also, it was the first time Rivers has ever beaten Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson in his four-year coaching career in Orlando. Portland is the only team that Rivers has never defeated.

One must wonder now if the champions of the past three seasons are at least a little bit vulnerable. Getting off to a 3-9 start without O'Neal was one thing, but losing on consecutive nights to Miami and Orlando is clearly another. Los Angeles (5-11) got little production from anyone other than O'Neal and Bryant and was routed defensively all night. Last season, Los Angeles didn't lose its 11th game until Jan. 23.

"They'll be fine and they're still a great team," Rivers said. "They've got a great coach and great players. They've been through all this stuff, they still have the three championships and they're still hungry. When the Eastern Conference fields a team for the Finals we all still believe that it will be the Lakers that they will be playing."

Bryant was just as spectacular as McGrady, treating the national-TV audience to a classic battle. Bryant hit 14 of 31 shots, scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The best exchange of the night between McGrady and Bryant came late in the second quarter when they directly attacked one another. McGrady sent Bryant falling to the floor with one particularly lethal spin move and scored on a floater in the lane. Bryant then came back and blew by McGrady off the dribble and dunked with force. However, he was whistled for a technical foul when he hung on the rim.

"It had nothing to do with us battling and it had everything to do with us trying to win the game,'' said Bryant, downplaying the showdown with McGrady. "I did retaliate one time. I felt like that dunk was totally necessary. I normally don't retaliate. Phil has taught me that. But I felt it was necessary there so I did it. (McGrady) made a nice move and I slipped. The homeboys don't care if you slip or not. So I had to go retaliate.''

O'Neal, who missed the first 12 games of the season following surgery on his arthritic right big toe, played for just the fourth time this season and looked as dominant as ever. A night after struggling to just 15 points in Miami, O'Neal often scored at will against the Magic's smallish frontline. He finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes.

"I felt pretty good,'' O'Neal said. "It's going to take four or five more games for me to really get everything back. All we can do is get better. I took three months off and have had only one week of practice.''

Starting for the third consecutive game, Mike Miller delivered another stellar performance for the Magic. He had 22 points, while Darrell Armstrong added 14 off the bench.

Grant Hill, who missed most of the past three games because of tendinitis in his surgically repaired left ankle, was back in the lineup and explosive at times. That allowed Rivers to finally start his "Big Three" lineup of McGrady, Hill and Mike Miller for the first time ever. Not only did the move allow Rivers to keep Miller -- fresh off a 31-point, 19-rebound performance Sunday _ in the starting lineup, but he was also able to use high-energy point guard Armstrong off the bench.

Hill had nine points and 10 rebounds, but did not play in the fourth quarter after the ankle tightened up on him again.

At a glance What went right: Orlando got significant contributions from Shawn Kemp and Andrew DeClercq to go with the stellar play of Tracy McGrady, Mike Miller and Darrell Armstrong. Orlando won the rebounding battle 43-41 and never trailed.

What went wrong: Grant Hill's troublesome left ankle tightened up in the second half and he did not return for the fourth quarter. He had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Hero of the game: Not only did McGrady score 38 points against Kobe Bryant, but he also handed out nine assists to keep his teammates involved. McGrady added six rebounds and two 3-pointers.

Goat of the game: Magic reserve Jeryl Sasser, a supposed defensive stopper, was put into the game in the final seconds of the third period to guard Bryant. The Laker star proceeded to bury a 22-footer in his face.

Howard Beck of the Whittier Daily News reports that Kobe is feeling frustrated? again. Kobe?s calling out his teammates? again. The Lakers lost on the road? again.

Kobe duelled Tracy McGrady on the court to an individual draw (each scored 38 points) but the Lakers lost to the Magic 112-102 last night in Orlando. This was the Lakers second straight loss and dropped them to 5-11 for the season.

Even the return of Shaquille O?Neal hasn?t turned the Lakers around. Last night?s loss was their 7th straight road defeat, only one away from the franchise record. They have not won away from Staples Center this season. Their only road win was against the Clippers at Staples on November 1st.

And Bryant is seething again. He called out Samaki Walker and Devean George for not playing through their injuries. He demanded better effort from the players who replaced them. "I love the game so much, and I think you guys can see that when I'm out there,' Bryant said, in low tones. "I play extremely hard every single minute. I expect my teammates to play the same way, and when they don't, it's frustrating. I play every minute like it's my last.'
 
"We don't have a flow yet,' O'Neal said, "and some guys don't really know what they're doing but are making a lot of little mistakes. We still have chances to win games, but it seems like other teams are playing harder than we are.'

"But it doesn't have anything really to do with Kobe or Shaq,' said Brian Shaw. "I think it's the rest of us.'

Watch out NBA, because Big Daddy is back!

So far in this bizarre NBA season the Los Angeles Lakers have looked like anything but a three time defending champ.  Kobe Bryant has learnt that this is not his team after all as the team has started out with an embarrassing three wins from twelve games, a win loss record which is good enough to land them in last place in the Pacific.

?yet the cockyness remains.  "We're going for a four-peat,? said Bryant, iced and taped as though he had just gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.  ? It's only right that we make the story really, really difficult and complex. It has to happen."

Tonight they take on the Chicago Bulls, a team that has arguably been the worst in the NBA over the last four season and thus far has a better record than the ?champs?.  The Bulls might be riding a two game winning streak against the Lakers, having swept them last season, but L.A. has a nice surprise in store.  Enter Shaquille O?Neal.

O?Neal?s timing could not have been better.  Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Daily News reports that the Lakers have approached the season with a business type mentality.  Players have simply been going through the motions, and without O?Neal teams do not appear to be intimidated by the ?champ? tag.

So how is the toe?  "[The doctor] said everything looks OK," O'Neal said. "I played (yesterday), felt pretty good. We'll just see (today). That's all I'm going to say."

The plan, according to Jackson and assuming O'Neal is ready, is to play O'Neal about half the game. And he's leaning toward bringing the center off the bench.

Having lost seven of their last eight, suddenly the regular season holds meaning for a team which has considered it to be nothing more than a formality ? a warm up to the big dance.  The Lakers currently sit in the 12th seed of the Western Conference ? only the top eight go through.

While injuries and the six game suspension to Rick Fox no doubt play a part in the Lakers poor early season form, Dilbeck reports that it cannot be used as an excuse.  The Sacramento Kings, second to only Dallas along with the surprising Seattle Supersonics,  have been without injured star Mike Bibby and started out without superstar Chris Webber, and they have a 9-4 record for their efforts.

"We've had our injuries, too," Kings center Vlade Divac said.

But the return of the NBA?s premier player removes any excuses for the Lakers ? the Kings are still missing Bibby ? so it will be interesting to see if the supporting cast continues to play the game with a casual attitude now Shaq?s back, or if the team will come out and play like they are the champions.

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post reports that USA Basketball is looking to shake up the national team. After this summer?s embarrassing display by Team USA in the National Championship Tournament, the selection committee is discussing what needs to be done to make sure it doesn?t happen again.

It appears as if they have all but decided to ask Sixers coach Larry Brown to lead the team. He has a great relationship with the organization and understands the importance of international play.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson is not being considered. Vecsey thinks that his attitude against his players participating in international play may have something to do with it. With Jackson earning a $2 million bonus for each NBA title he wins, is it any surprise that he wants Kobe and Shaq resting during the summer?

"The process of choosing a coach already has begun," confirmed one of the USA Basketball selection committee members, "and, yes, Larry is the frontrunner. As great a coach as Phil is, he's not really being considered."

Another committee member had this to say about Jackson, "Evidently Phil sees himself as a savior. For years, he's distanced himself from USA Basketball and made very few friends. Now that our reputation is soiled he's willing to sacrifice his precious time in order to resuscitate it . . . out of the goodness of his heart, of course. Who needs him!?"

An upgrade in talent will also be discussed by the committee. Vecsey writes that according to sources, Kobe, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber and Michael Finley have been approached about their interest in participating in the qualifying tournament and the Olympics.

The response has been 100-percent favorable except for Shaq who's 75 percent committed, and only if Jackson coaches. Sources say they don't expect Paul Pierce or Baron Davis to be asked again due to last summer's flagrant lack of team play.

Howard Beck of the Orange County register reports that Shaquille O?Neal may be back to action in a week. O?Neal went through a full practice yesterday and declared that he will return against the Bulls on the 22nd. Jackson called the scenario "plausible."

O?Neal will meet with doctors next Thursday for a re-evaluation. He?s been told that his injury is improving. If he?s cleared on Thursday, he will play against the Bulls.

There has been some pain in the bottom of his foot that hasn?t improved. The pain is pretty much the same as two weeks ago, O?Neal admitted. Orthotics ease the discomfort when O'Neal is on the court. But the pain flares up after every workout, and O?Neal?s podiatrist Dr. Robert Mohr has advised him it might not go away -- "He said maybe a couple weeks, maybe a couple months, maybe never."

When asked if his return was because the foot is feeling better or because the team is 2-6, O?Neal said "A little of both".

"I just wanted to wait until (the pain) died down a little bit," he said. "Hopefully, in a couple days it will die down. ... We'll just have to see what happens next week, but it looks pretty good."

Jeff Denberg of the AJC writes that Shareef Abdur-Rahim made only one basket in the second half of a 26-point performance Tuesday, but it was a critical corner jumper. When Glenn Robinson backed him with another, the Hawks were able to hold on against the Los Angeles Lakers and beat them 95-83.

That left them at 2-3 on trip, 4-4 for the season and going home with some satisfaction.

The three-time defending champion Lakers, still without injured center Shaquille O'Neal, dropped to 2-6, their worst start through eight games in 36 years. Their losing streak grew to four games, their longest since April 1995.