Lakers' 1-2 punch a real knockout: With an NBA championship under their belts, Los Angeles' Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant take their place among the NBA's all-time greatest dynamic duos.(Chicago Tribune)

LOS ANGELES _ Jordan and Pippen, Magic and Kareem, Bird and McHale, Russell and Cousy, West and Baylor, Erving and Malone, Chamberlain and Greer, Thomas and Dumars, Unseld and Hayes.

Shaq and Kobe.

Do they belong?

"I'll tell you," Lakers forward Glen Rice said. "This is the best duo I've seen in a long time. And they are going to be together forever.

"I've been able to sit back and watch those guys go out and do their thing. It's an unbelievable duo."

Certainly, it's the best the NBA has to offer for now, and O'Neal and Bryant demonstrated it throughout the Lakers' playoff march to a championship, particularly in the clinching Game 6 here Monday when the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers, 116-111. …