Even though Wally Szczerbiak tried to be nice and friendly to Shaquille O'Neal at the All-Star Game, scooting his chair over a few inches so the big man would have more room on the Western Conference squad's bench, it didn't earn him much goodwill.

Heading into the Timberwolves game Wednesday, the Lakers center had questioned Szczerbiak's 34 points in the Wolves' 120-102 victory on Jan. 11.

"He's not the type that's supposed to get (34 points)," O'Neal said. "He's a hustle player, but he's only supposed to get 10-12." O'Neal then challenged teammate Kobe Bryant to shut the Wolves' shooting guard down.

Well, it worked both ways Wednesday night. Szczerbiak scored only 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But Bryant scored only four of his 20 points in the second half and shot 8-for-25. That left him 17-for-52 over his past two games at Target Center.

"I just tried to make him earn everything," Szczerbiak said. "He got some chippies in the first half and got off quick, got a couple layups on the break and a couple offensive rebounds. But for the most part, when I was on him one-on-one, I just made him shoot over me and take a tough shot.

Coach Phil Jackson wasn't out of line last weekend when, sizing up the Timberwolves, he claimed to see "fear in their eyes."

Like it or not, there have been times -- in losing 15 in a row on the Los Angeles Lakers' floor dating back to 1993, in getting pounded inside by Shaquille O'Neal with no cavalry or firemen in sight -- when one or more Wolves players gladly would have slipped out a back door with time left on the game clock. Word is, a whisper of "Dyan Cannon" can cause shivers, and certain Wolves past or present can't watch a Jack Nicholson movie without breaking into a cold sweat.

So Jackson's facts weren't necessarily off. But his timing was.

The Wolves left their fear in the locker room -- if it was there anymore, anyway -- and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-101 Wednesday night at sold-out, snarling Target Center.

Shaquille O'Neal dismissed the Timberwolves' acquisition of Marc Jackson with one word.

"So?" he said Sunday, unimpressed by the Wolves and their attempt to upgrade as the Western Conference playoff race heats up.

That was about all the deep thought the self-dubbed Big Aristotle cared to expend on the topic, although he was equally unmoved by Dallas' maneuver to close the gap by adding Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel. "Won't work," he expounded to reporters in New York that day.

Still, the Wolves -- who face Shaq and the NBA's two-time defending champion Lakers on Wednesday at Target Center -- finally might be able to offer a snappy retort to O'Neal's "So?"

Some back-alley bon mot along the lines of "Oh yeah?" Or even "So yourself."

O'Neal might not see it, but the Wolves (38-18) consider themselves to be a lot tougher inside than they were just six days ago. They look it, thanks to Jackson's naturally wide frame and bowling-ball grace in the lane. And they feel it, in the way they gave what they only used to get, in terms of physical play, Saturday at San Antonio and against the Hornets on Monday in Charlotte.

Timberwolves guard Wally Szczerbiak thought about the question while sitting on a chair after practice Tuesday and watching newly acquired Marc Jackson work on drills across the court.

After several seconds, he came up with a simple answer.

"It's tough to stop him," Szczerbiak said. "You know he's going to score points. You just can't let him go wild and score well above his average"

"Him" being Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal.

Even with the recent addition of the wide-bodied Jackson to provide depth in the frontcourt to wear teams down, the Wolves can't be confident in their ability to stop O'Neal when the Lakers visit Target Center tonight.

Even triple-teaming O'Neal rarely has worked.

So what about trying to stop, or contain, the Lakers' second-best threat ? guard Kobe Bryant?

"That's just as tough," Szczerbiak said. "He's a great player. He's going to get his points. That's why he's one of the top players in the league."

The Bucks have not had the good fortune of catching the Lakers on one of their "down" periods this season. They visited Los Angeles earlier this season, when the Lakers were in the midst of their torrid start. On Nov. 27, Kobe Bryant poured in 33 points to lead the Lakers to a 104-85 victory that improved Los Angeles' record to 15-1.

Tonight, the Lakers enter play riding the crest of a three-game winning streak and looking to sweep a five-game trip that they view as the start of their push toward the playoffs.

"We are in the down side of the season," Jackson said. "Some separation is starting to happen, especially in our conference."

Said forward Robert Horry, "Once we get a streak of 10 or more, then we're probably getting our flow back."

The question everyone in the league will be seeking to answer as the regular season winds down is just how to beat the Lakers in the playoffs, especially when they are on top of their game as they were early this season and undoubtedly will be again by the time the post-season rolls around.

There is no doubt that Detroit's Ben Wallace is one of the most ferocious defenders in the NBA today, but is the Pistons forward finally getting the respect he deserves?  We think so.  

The NBA named Wallace as the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the fiesty forward averaging 11.0 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots and earning his first career triple double (17 rebounds, 10 points and 10 blocked shots Sunday in the loss to Milwaukee).

"To get the triple-double the way I did, I have to give my teammates a lot of credit," Wallace said. "They forced guys to blindly fly in there, and I was able come from the weak side and get the block. It's definitely a great feeling, and it was a great week other than not winning the Milwaukee game."

Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.

The Los Angeles Times are reporting that legendary commentator Chick Hearn is recovering well from a broken hip and could be back sooner than expected.  His orthopedic surgeon stated Sunday that Hearn was progressing ahead of schedule, which is great news for Lakers fans worldwide.

"He's doing just great," said Herbert Huddleston of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute. "He's remarkably strong and his clarity of mind is amazing."

He was expected to return in late April.  Hearn wants to return Friday, the original date set from his heart surgery, but doctors started that March 10 might be a more realistic date.

"I really don't think that's a possibility, but March 10 might be," the doctor said. "Realistically, though, he's probably a month away."

On one small level, one of the most celebrated NBA players ever to leave high school directly for the pros couldn't imagine being LeBron James.

Kobe Bryant said last night he could not envision himself as a high schooler on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

``As a junior?'' Bryant said before his L.A. Lakers faced the Cavs at Gund Arena. ``No, I never would have gone to class.''

Bryant was joking.

But he was very serious when he talked about making the jump in 1996 from Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia to the NBA. Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Lakers on draft day for Vlade Divac.

Bryant now is considered one of the NBA's best. But in his rookie year, he averaged 15.5 minutes and 7.6 points, quite an adjustment for the National High School Player of the Year.

``You have your good times,'' Bryant said. ``You have your down times. You have your misery times.''

And the misery times were just that.

``There was a lot of space between those times,'' Bryant said. ``But when they occurred it was like they would last forever.''

Bryant knows of James, the St. Vincent-St. Mary junior who was featured on the SI cover a week ago. The two met one time briefly at an All-Star game, but Bryant said it wasn't enough to form a relationship.

Bryant said he did not go see James on Wednesday night because he didn't know he was playing. Instead, Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal attended with ex-Cav and ex-Laker Ron Harper.

Bryant's advice to James would be basic.

``Do what you want,'' Bryant said. ``If you want to go to college, you'll be able to learn a lot, I guess. I don't know. People tell me it's a great experience going to college. (If you don't go) you miss out on keg parties and things like that.

``If you come to the NBA, you have to be ready to make a sacrifice. And it's a huge sacrifice.''

Because?

``It might not be a business from your standpoint, but it's a business from other people's perspective,'' Bryant said. ``People are going to be paying you millions of dollars to put a good product out there. From that standpoint, the game becomes a little more serious.''

Cavs coach John Lucas said he worked with Bryant ``every day for two years'' when Bryant was in high school. Lucas didn't think it was overwhelming for James to be on the cover of SI, but he did think it vital for James to get an honest assessment of his skills.

``You need to get advice from guys who have been in the league instead of talking to an AAU coach or some shoe company,'' Lucas said. ``You can have somebody assess you. I do it when they play with our guys over the summer. I tell them all the time, `When you play against a pro in the summer, he's just having fun and you're playing at the highest level you can play. When you play against a pro when the season starts, it's a different pro.' ''

Bryant said he occasionally thinks back to what it might have been like in college -- even for one year. But now that he has millions of dollars, a palatial estate outside Los Angeles and two championship rings, he can't imagine making a different decision.

``If (James) wants to make the jump and go to the NBA, he's as good as everybody says he is or he's not,'' Bryant said. ``If he is, he still has to improve his game. If he's not, he has to improve his game anyway. It doesn't really matter. When you come to the NBA you have to improve no matter who you are.''

Until then, Bryant said James should think of getting better -- especially when he winds up on the cover of national magazines.

``It's nice to see that as long as he can take it in stride, see it as an opportunity to improve and not being at the top of everything he'll accomplish,'' Bryant said. ``See it as a starting point.''

Branson Wright of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: Apparently, Kobe Bryant has more than a solid jumper and a quick first step to the basket. Bryant also has a good right jab.

According to a witness on the Los Angeles Lakers team bus, Bryant hit teammate Samaki Walker in the eye following joking between the two players that turned into a one-punch boxing match. The incident happened as the team bus was parking in the tunnel of Gund Arena before last night's Lakers-Cavaliers game.

When asked, Bryant didn't confirm or deny the altercation. Walker, meanwhile, said: "I don't know what everyone's talking about. Do you think Kobe would've played tonight if he would've hit me?"

Walker, who is on the injured list with a hyperextended right elbow, wore a bandage under his right eye that appeared swollen. He wasn't wearing the patch nor did he appear to have any swelling during the team's shootaround yesterday morning.

Shaquille O'Neal hasn't seen a high school basketball game in years. He broke that drought on Wednesday night when he attended St. Vincent-St. Mary against Orange.

O'Neal was there to watch St.Vincent-St. Mary phenom LeBron James. It was worth the wait.

"I haven't been to a high school game in awhile but us No. 1 players must stick together," O'Neal said. "I knew who he was because I read Sports Ilustrated and I talked to a few people about him. He's a good player."

James scored 33 points in St.Vincent-St. Mary's victory. O'Neal said James has an excellent game on the high school level and he expects him to "do some damage" on the next level too.

That next level means professionally. O'Neal also said that he won't offer James any advice on going pro out of high school or going to college.

"I don't give out information because what happens to him, necessarily didn't happen to me," O'Neal said. "Experience is the best teacher. He'll have to do what's best for him and what's best for his family."

Second that emotion:

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has some advice for James if he asks.

"Do what you want. If you want to go to college you'll be able to learn a lot, I guess. I don't know," Bryant said. "But if you come to the NBA, you have to be ready to sacrifice. It might not be a business for you, but it's a business from other people's perspective."

Trades:

With the exception of the trades between Indiana, Chicago, Boston, Phoenix, Dallas and Denver, the trade deadline ended quietly yesterday. The Cavs didn't make any moves.

"It's been very quiet," said Cavs coach John Lucas. "One thing the CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] did was make it harder for teams to make major deals. That's why I'm sold on the way we're doing it by developing our players and trying to create franchise players."