O’Neal: ‘I’m Going to Play’ Thursday

DENVER —  Though he walked around a little gingerly and stayed in the training and weight rooms for most of it, Shaquille O’Neal came out of the Lakers’ informal workout at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday saying that he was certain his sore right hamstring wouldn’t keep him out of the Lakers’ next game.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to play on Thursday [at Washington],” O’Neal said. “I’m the type of player, if I’m 75%, I can still put up a lot of numbers.

“Right now, I’m about 70%. I think if I get below 50, then I’ll just say I can’t play. It takes a lot for me to not be able to play. . . .

“I still can do enough against teams that have a limited center. The true test will be what I do against New York or Miami [on Sunday and Monday against Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning] with a pulled hamstring.”

And O’Neal said that, at 100% or 70%, he’s always going to need his teammates to help him along.

“I can only go as far as my teammates carry me,” O’Neal said. “I’m the big strong ship, but I need strong oars to get to the next country.”

Coach Phil Jackson suggested that, with the Lakers on a 19-game winning streak, third-longest in NBA history, O’Neal’s strong play during his recent leg problems has been a team rallying point.

“It’s what leaders do, basically--find a way to do whatever a team has to have done to get through another work situation,” Jackson said.

“Especially when we’re at this level, where we’re pushing the envelope a little on win streaks, it’s kind of fun for us to keep finding a way to have guys go through it.”

Jackson said he has considered holding O’Neal out but was told by the medical staff that O’Neal probably won’t be aggravating the injury by playing.

“You know, [holding O’Neal out], I think, has diminishing rewards,” Jackson said. “There’s something to be said about the perseverance of playing and the accomplishment of doing that thing every single day when it comes time. When the bell rings, to stand up and be counted.

“And one of the things I’ve told this ballclub from the start is, I want every player to play every game. . . . I sincerely believe that that’s one of the keys to having great seasons. . . .”

Jackson, however, added that 36-year-old guard Ron Harper, nursing tendinitis in both legs, could be put on the injured list in the next few weeks to get him rested and ready for the playoffs.

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The last time the Lakers were on a long streak, Jackson said that even coming close to the 1971-72 Lakers’ NBA record of 33 consecutive victories would be unthinkable. And he was right. They were halted at 16.

What is he thinking this time?

“We’ve got a ways to go before we get to even thinking about 30 or 32 or 33, or whatever the number is,” Jackson said.