The Diesel vs. Black Mamba.  The Man of Steel vs. KB24.  Shaq and Kobe are together again, this time as adversaries on opposite sides of a West Coast feud.

The Lakers and Suns square off tonight in a battle for first place in the Pacific Division, and will feature two championship-caliber teams sporting brand-new looks.  The Wild West of course, has been reshaped by blockbuster trades; first with Pau Gasol donning the purple and gold, and then with Shaq landing in the valley of the sun.

This game will bring as much hype and drama as can possibly surround a regular season game in the middle of February as it will be the only meeting between the two teams before a possible showdown in the playoffs.  This will be Shaq’s first game as a member of the Phoenix Suns, and his successful albeit sometimes contentious and bitter relationship with Bryant has ramped up what was already an intense rivalry.

Everybody will be watching to see how he fits in with the run-and-gun style that has produced 214 wins since the start of the 2004 season.  Even LeBron James has said he’ll be setting his TiVO to catch a glimpse of Shaq in a Suns jersey taking on Kobe.  AccuScore has O’Neal projected to threaten a double-double with 15 points and 9 rebounds tonight, but that of course is contingent upon him staying on the floor (he is coming off a hip injury).  He will be squaring off with Kobe Bryant whom he famously feuded with through the years despite coexisting long enough to win three titles.

Nobody truly knows how Shaq will fit in until it happens, and how quickly he can assimilate will be key for the Suns.  How will Amare adjust to playing the four?  Can Boris Diaw recapture his form from 2006 in a more expanded role?  Who will take on the role as perimeter defender that was vacated by the departed Shawn Marion?  Will Shaq slow down the Phoenix running game, or be able to facilitate it as a defender and rebounder like Kareem was able to with the Showtime Lakers?  Only through time and game action will these questions be answered.

On the Lakers side, Gasol has brought a new dimension to the triangle offense.  Los Angeles has gone 6-1 since the Spaniard’s arrival, and his presence has mitigated the loss of Andrew Bynum in the middle.  Gasol has averaged 21 points and 8 rebounds since the trade while shooting over 64% from the floor.  He is projected for 19 points and 9 rebounds tonight, numbers that are exactly in line with his career averages. 

Kobe Bryant showed very few ill effects from his injured pinkie last night in the destruction of the Hawks shooting 8 of 16 from the field and hitting all 6 of his free throw attempts.  In fact, the finger appeared to be a non-issue besides a heavy wrapping after the game.  The injury of course bears monitoring as it will not heal on its own, and will eventually require surgery.  If at any time the pain becomes too unbearable for Bryant he will opt to get a procedure done that would knock him out of commission for six weeks putting the Lakers playoff aspirations in jeopardy.

As it stands now both these teams are preparing for a tough battle that will likely extend all the way to the end of the regular season.  Then after the grueling fight for seeding will come the playoffs that, with the depth of the West, will feature championship level games in every round.  Both the Lakers and Suns made trades in anticipation of such an event.  Tonight that battle begins with the winner emerging as the leaders of the Pacific Division, and perhaps a step ahead in the quest for a championship.