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2004-05 NBA season under way. How will Shaq and Kobe do this year now that they are no longer teammates? Below are some highlights and prospectives of Shaq and Kobe's 04-05 season.

ESPN Shootaround Guys. November 3, 2004. The ESPN Shootaround guys give their takes on how Kobe and Shaq will do in the 2004-05 NBA season. On Kobe Bryant and the Lakers post-Shaq: Stephen A. Smith: "Because we don't expect (the Lakers) to win much, the only story is Kobe right now. You wanted Phil Jackson gone? He's gone. You wanted Shaquille O'Neal gone? He's gone. (Kobe) wanted the franchise, one of the most illustrious franchises in NBA history, to belong to him. You got what you wanted. Let me see what you're going to do with it." Greg Anthony: "For Kobe Bryant to really be the great player everyone thinks he is ... the first important aspect of being a great player (is) making other people better. And that is what's going to be difficult for this guy, because he dominates the basketball. He has to make other people better to have any chance to make the playoffs." On Shaquille O'Neal playing for the Miami Heat: Stephen A. Smith: "Seven-foot-one, 330 pounds and, on top of it all, he's ticked off. I don't know about anybody else, but that spells disaster for anybody that's going up against this man. He is definitely my favorite to win MVP honors. Lakers start their Shaqless 2004-05 season with a win. LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 -- Kobe Bryant may have seen his new man in the middle emerge. Chris Mihm had a career-high 23 points with 12 rebounds while Bryant scored 25 points to lead the revamped Los Angeles Lakers to a 89-78 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the season opener for both teams. One of the acquisitions in the trade of Gary Payton to Boston, Mihm is one of the handful of big men being asked to help fill the void created by the trade of superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to Miami. The 7-footer jump-started Los Angeles in his debut with nine points in the first six minutes and 19 in the first half, helping the Lakers to a 50-31 lead. Despite shooting just 5-of-14 from the floor, Bryant made 14-of-15 free throws and got his teammates involved with seven assists. The new main man in Los Angeles also made his presence felt on the defensive end with three blocked shots. The Lakers never trailed, stretching their lead to as many as 23 points early in the third period. Denver shot poorly in the first half, making just 11-of-44 shots. The Nuggets scored only four fast-break points after leading the NBA with just under 20 a game last season. The Nuggets cut the deficit to 58-48 with 5:24 left in the third quarter with a 17-4 run fueled by Voshon Lenard, who scored seven of his 13 points during the run. Less than a minute later, Lenard tore his left Achilles tendon, likely ending his season. Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points and Kenyon Martin added 13 and seven rebounds in his first game with Denver. Marcus Camby grabbed 16 rebounds for the Nuggets. Shaq vs. Tim Duncan SAN ANTONIO Nov 12, 2004 -- With Dwyane Wade unavailable, the Miami Heat had no answer for Manu Ginobili. Ginobili scored nine of his season-high 29 points down the stretch as the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 93-84 victory over the Heat, who have lost two in a row. The Heat's leading scorer, Wade was not in uniform after spraining his left ankle in Thursday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Miami's first setback of the season. That opened the door on the perimeter for the Spurs' backcourt of Ginobili and Tony Parker, who combined for 36 points through three quarters as San Antonio took a 72-60 lead into the final period. Miami responded by scoring the first seven points and cut the deficit to 77-76 on a layup by Shaquille O'Neal with just under five minutes to play. But Ginobili scored six points in the next minute to spark 13-3 run that sealed the win for the Spurs. O'Neal had 23 points and 21 rebounds for the Heat in his matchup inside with Tim Duncan, who countered with 17 and 13. The win was the 400th of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich's career, making him the quickest to reach that plateau. The reports above are courtesy of NBA.com.As well as ESPN.com Sports Memorabilia, Highland Mint, Autographed Collectibles This Site Created on September 14, 2004 Back to top

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