For a night, Johnson stepped into the low-post position typically occupied by Ewing.

And Ewing will have to work harder for low-post position, forcing teams to foul him.

"Shaq's doing a great job establishing low-post position," Bryant said Tuesday.

"It's what we've been wanting: to create a low-post position because it's always better to play inside-out."

"It was a terrific battle between two of the premier players in the league in the low-post position," Adubato said.

Ewing had 19 points by intermission, having taken advantage of shorter defenders and established low-post position.

Players may not use their legs to root an offensive player out of low-post position.

Bill Cartwright's physical defense bothers Ewing and keeps him from establishing low-post position.

His jumper and hook shot were erratic, largely because he was not strong enough physically to establish low-post position.

In Game 2, they denied him low-post position and forced him to pass more than he wanted.