OS ANGELES - Kedrick Brown grew up in a small town 30 miles north of Baton Rouge and Louisiana State University. But he does not remember a certain big man who played for the Tigers in the late 1980s and early '90s. Brown was too busy doing ''little kids things'' to pay attention to Shaquille O'Neal's college career. Brown was only 8 years old when O'Neal started at LSU.

So taking the court against The Diesel held no special significance for Brown, who was activated and reinserted into the starting lineup last night.