The two NBA teams that have been affected most by Shaquille O'Neal's free-agent defection to the West Coast meet tonight at TD Waterhouse Centre.

Maybe the Orlando Magic and the Sacramento Kings will call a 20-second timeout to commiserate.

If you don't think the Magic still are feeling reverberations from Shaq's exit to Los Angeles in 1996, consider this: Coach Doc Rivers might start 20-year-old rookie Steven Hunter at center.

And if you don't think Sacramento hasn't felt the tremors from Shaq's move, consider this: The Lakers have knocked the upstart Kings out of the playoffs the past two years, last season via a sweep.

What the Kings need to happen to the champion Lakers is what's apparently happening in baseball: contraction.