"In the middle of last June, just days after the NBA Finals ended, Shaquille O'Neal got a call on his cell phone from LeBron James.

The Cavaliers' failure to reach those Finals, a result of the six-game loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, was still stinging the entire organization. General Manager Danny Ferry was already moving on, attempting to make changes that would help the Cavs avoid such a result in the future.

And that is why James was placing the call.

"He said 'Come on here, we need you and we're going to make a trade for you,' " O'Neal remembered. "I said 'OK, I got you young fella.' I knew it was going to be a great time as soon as I got the call."

It has been a great time indeed. So far, at least.

But the final verdict will not come until a full circle has been made. The true test begins today when the Cavs host the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The Cavs traded for O'Neal and made a series of other moves aimed at filling in the cracks that were exposed a season ago in the loss to the Magic. Cracks that, when the Cavs looked in the mirror, would have been just as gaping had they gotten past the Magic and faced the equally big and talented eventual champion Lakers."