Stojakovic Expected to Sit
It's the time of year every player dreams of; seeing his team in action deep into the month of May. For injured Kings swingman Peja Stojakovic, though, the Western Conference Finals have been something of a nightmare.

"It's bad, it's bad," Stojakovic told the Sacramento Bee, when asked about how it feels to be injured during Sacramento's showdown with the Lakers. "I really wanted to play against the Lakers this year because I think we're a different team than we were last year."

Stojakovic has yet to suit up in the West Finals against the Lakers. Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE/Getty Images

According to the Bee, Stojakovic is not expected to play in either Friday's Game 3 or Sunday's Game 4. While the Kings have maintained their offensive prowess in Peja's absence, they still miss the All-Star's deadeye shooting. Stojakovic averaged 18.8 ppg, and shot 44.4 percent from three-point range in three regular-season games against the Lakers.

"Right now, we have no plans that he's going to play in the immediate future," Kings coach Rick Adelman told the Bee. "We'll just have to wait and see if he progresses each day. I'm not counting on him."

Phil's Had His Fill
Lakers coach Phil Jackson is a master at working the referees. So it should come as no surprise that the Zen Master has already started lobbying on Shaquille O'Neal's behalf after his star center nearly fouled out of Game 2.

"We had a player on his way to a 50-point game," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "He was completely taken out of his game in the process of making foul calls."

O'Neal had 23 points in the first half of Game 2, and even though he finished with 35 for the game, he collected three fouls in the first half, which forced him to play in foul trouble for most of the game. Jackson was given a technical foul towards the end of the first half for what he felt was a particularly questionable offensive foul called on Shaq.

"We had five fouls called on us against Webber, who was just posting up," Jackson told the Times. "Shaq doesn't even get those calls. ... The rules get changed or requalified because of [Shaq]'s size, but that's no excuse."

Cat? Cot? Cart? Carrot?

O'Neal

Coach Jackson wasn't the only one miffed after Game 2. Shaq also went on the offensive with the media during downtime, saying: "There is only one way to beat us. It starts with C and ends with T."

As O'Neal would not confirm that he meant the dreaded c-word ("cheat"), L.A. Times columnist T.J. Simers took it upon himself to get to the root of Shaq's jumble. Simers writes:

"I counted 75 words in a dictionary that begin with C and end with T, and you never know what Shaq's thinking, but I don't think the state of ConnecticuT, a CamshafT or a CaricaturisT is the key to beating the Lakers. A CarroT by itself, obviously isn't going to hurt the Lakers, and even if it was Carrot Top, I'd like to think Shaq would put him out of his misery."

Bryant-Burger Mystery Still Unsolved
According to the Sacramento Bee, there hasn't been any confirmation that it was, in fact, a Sacramento hotel cheeseburger that led to Kobe Bryant's bout with food poisoning before Game 2.

"We heard about it and made a call to the Hyatt, but didn't inspect them," Environmental Department Management Chief Richard Sanchez told the Bee. "They served quite a few of these products, and there were no other reported illnesses."

The hotel in question was obviously not happy at being accused of serving a bad burger.

"This is the competitive nature of the Kings and Lakers and should be played out on the basketball floor, not in the hotel," Hyatt Regency Sacramento general manager Jerry Westenhaver told the newspaper.

Lakers' Lost Touch
After Game 2, which saw the Lakers go 3-for-19 from three-point range, it's apparent that L.A. is struggling from long range. This doesn't bother coach Jackson. What does, however, is when they force the issue.

"Three-point shooting comes and goes. That's pretty natural," Jackson told the L.A. Times. "I tell them that they cannot live by this shot. You have to shoot it out of rhythm."

Chief amongst the struggling Lakers is usually-reliable guard Derek Fisher, who is shooting just 5-for-20 from the field (2-for-10 from three-point range) in the two games against the Kings.

"The only message I have for Fisher is that he has to get the shots out of the offense," Jackson told the Times. "He has to let them come to him."

Backcourt Coming Up "Big"

Jackson

Bibby

One of the few bright spots that have arisen with Peja Stojakovic's sprained ankle is the emergence of guard Bobby Jackson. Jackson is averaging 19.0 ppg so far in the West Finals, and is shooting a scorching .583 from the field.

Despite being just 6-1, Jackson's defense and rebounding have allowed Kings coach Rick Adelman to play him alongside starting point guard Mike Bibby for long stretches.

"One of the best things we told Jackson was, 'You're not a point guard. You're a guard. Just do your thing,'" Adelman told the Sacramento Bee. "He and Bibby play well together."

While it's hard to imagine the Kings backcourt playing any better than they have been this series (Bibby is averaging 19.5 ppg and 6.5 apg in the two games against the Lakers), Adelman still holds out hope for one "minor" improvement.

"I just wish one of them would grow four inches," he told the paper.