Without an all-star guard by his side can Shaquille O'Neal carry his team to the playoffs???
Will the Heat make the Playoffs???
- Thread starter TrojansFan
- Start date
fair question. since i don't have a crystal ball, i have no way of knowing the answer to your question at this time.
but if history is any indication, shaquille o'neal can carry the miami heat to the playoffs. the only season he has failed to do so was his rookie season, and that was on an expansion team that finished 41-41.
but if history is any indication, shaquille o'neal can carry the miami heat to the playoffs. the only season he has failed to do so was his rookie season, and that was on an expansion team that finished 41-41.
cranrab said:
I guess you only have a crystal ball that shows what the Lakers and Kobe will do. You can write paragraphs and thread after thread about a team and player you dislike. But I ask legitimate question about a player you like and you wont even give an answer.
I thought you were the resident BGOL NBA expert? How can you not have an opinion? No analysis of the situation? Its a simple question do you think he can carry his team to the playoffs without an all-star guard by his side??? Can he even put his team on his back and post a winning record without Wade by his side???
Its a simple yes or no whether or not YOU believe he can or can't.
I WILL GO ON RECORD AND SAY HE CAN'T!!!
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TrojansFan said:
i know. you spend much of your time in a state of confusion. knowing that vivid is distributing a sex tape of your fellow countrywoman must be alarming.
TrojansFan said:
there you go with that language problem again. for your future reference, a crystal ball is an icon of your gypsy peoples. a stage prop, if you will, used by charlatans and fakers who claim to see the events of the future.
while i have speculated about what the fakers' regular season record will be, i can't recall ever posting a prediction about how tobe would perform in any game. i issue you a challenge: post the link to any ONE of my threads where i predict how tobe will play in that game.
TrojansFan said:
no need to throw a tantrum. if you read my reply, i acknowledged that your question was fair. i also gave my answer, but perhaps your current hysterics aren't allowing you to comprehend what i wrote.
TrojansFan said:
thank you for that title. i've certainly never self-proclaimed that title. again, i challenge you to post the link to thread in which i made that claim myself.
TrojansFan said:
not very sporting of you. here we are 65% of the season behind us, and NOW you want to pose this question to the board? why didn't you ask this question BEFORE THE SEASON began?
your motive is clear. this entire thread is a thinly veiled attack on shaquille o'neal. your disingenuous interest is merely an attempt to marginalize and discredit shaquille o'neal.
TrojansFan said:
let's see. you want me to analyze a PREDICTION? you want an analysis of something that hasn't occurred yet? god bless you armenians and your limited language skills.
TrojansFan said:
um, take a look at the TITLE of YOUR OWN thread. that's not the same question you asked.
but i'll still answer this question. the answer is YES. shaquille o'neal has carried his team to the playoffs without an all-star guard by his side HIS ENTIRE CAREER ALREADY. NONE of the guards people refer to (anfernee hardaway, eddie jones, tobe) were all stars until AFTER shaquille o'neal played with them. shaquille o'neal made them all look better than they are. shaquille o'neal makes players around him better.
TrojansFan said:
wow. ACUTE DENIAL. shaquille o'neal has posted a winning record with dwyane wade by his side the past TWO seasons.
xfactor said:
I disagree with you, but at least you were MAN enough to just answer the question without all the unecessary dissertation!
Let's see what happens...
If this were 1993-2000......yes
In 2007?? Probably not.
Why?? Too old to do it alone
In 2007?? Probably not.
Why?? Too old to do it alone
TrojansFan said:
stop your whining already. everyone in this thread has answered your questions.
question 1 in the TITLE: will the heat make the playoffs?
A: i have no way of knowing.
question 2 in the original post: without an all-star guard by his side can Shaquille O'Neal carry his team to the playoffs?
A: YES. shaquille o'neal already has. ex: 1994
if those questions were NOT the questions you intended to ask, or if you could not comprehend my reply, perhaps you should return to ESL.
cranrab said:stop your whining already. everyone in this thread has answered your questions.
question 1 in the TITLE: will the heat make the playoffs?
A: i have no way of knowing.
question 2 in the original post: without an all-star guard by his side can Shaquille O'Neal carry his team to the playoffs?
A: YES. shaquille o'neal already has. ex: 1994
if those questions were NOT the questions you intended to ask, or if you could not comprehend my reply, perhaps you should return to ESL.
GET OVER YOURSELF. Why are you still talking with nothing to add???
We know you have no way knowing what will will happen. The point is what people think will happen. Everyone else seemed to figure the question out alright. And why are you bringing up shit that happened in 1994? We are discussing this season. And as you pointed out yourself the title of the thread is "Will the Heat make the playoffs?" I dont believe Shaq was with the Heat in 1994, so how could this possibly be relevent???
We are discussing what will happen this season, no one needs you to tell us what happened in past seasons - We ALL already know what happened in the past!!! If you can't add information on what will happen you are adding no VALUE to this thread!!!
P.S. Runaway Slave, I believe you response was dead on point!
TrojansFan said:
so YOU posed TWO irrelevant questions in a pitiful effort to ask this one:
"do you think shaquille o'neal can lead the miami heat to the playoffs without dwyane wade?"
see? simple.
TrojansFan said:
again, here is your question verbatim:
without an all-star guard by his side can Shaquille O'Neal carry his team to the playoffs?
so wherein your question is the boundary limiting our answers to THIS season?
1994 is an example of the answer to YOUR question. i suppose you earn a pass for your inability to fashion a SIMPLE question in plain english because of your armenian heritage.
don't be angry with me because you have serious shortcomings with our language. i'm sure there are some very good ESL programs in your area.
cranrab said:
Another Kobe fan that hasn't gotten over the fact that Shaq won without Kobe and Phil.....
The Heat will not only make the playoffs they will make the Finals as well
Defense wins Championships........No one in the East plays better defense than Miami....period....especially in the 4th Qtr.
Shaq has defered to both Wade and Kobe.....
Imagine this Trojans fan.......without Shaq, Tobe would have never won a championship...look at what he has done without him.....NOTHING.....Would you feel Kobe is so great without those rings?...I think not....
Don't buy into the Kobe LA hype that Shaq was holding Kobe back.....Kobe just sucks in the 4th of important playoffs series. Phonies never have heart.
No one wants to play with that asshole.......he has singlehandedly destroyed the resurgence of LA and has given Phil the worst losing streaks and regualr seasons of his career............
Defense does win championships, but this year, the Heat are not the best defensive team in the east. There are 7 teams (in the east) that give up fewer points than the Heat. I would have to go with Detroit as the best Eastern Defensive Team. Chicago is ok, but they have blown a lot of leads. Hopefully Skiles will resolve this issue.
SpiritualPorn said:
Let's get one thing straight... I AM A LAKERS FAN! I am not a Kobe fan. I believe he is one of the best players in the game today but if he left the Lakers, I wouldn't care less what he did. But, how the hell does Kobe's name come up in a thread discussing whether or not the Heat can make the playoffs without Wade??? I don't understand why people are so obsessed with Kobe that they bring his name up in any basketball conversation???
Now, back to the topic...
I know there is a possibility that they make the playoffs in the weak Eastern Confernce which is why I started the thread to get people's opinions. But are you serious that you think they can make the Finals without Wade??? I love how you pointed out that defense wins championships, but say the Heat will make the Finals despite the fact their defense has been horrible this year.
It is time for you to save the season, Shaq. Time for you to reach into your past one more time and be what you were. You have 28 games to remind Miami why you were greeted here with a parade and just recently given a $100 million extension. Twenty-eight games to prove your worth on a team Dwyane Wade has wrestled away from you.
You up for it?
You've always taken teams deep into the playoffs, no matter your uniform or your teammates. You've always made your sidekick look better than he was, no matter who he was. You've made champions of spent and limited players such as Rick Fox and Ron Harper and Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.
So what is being requested of you now isn't very much at all.
Be better than Orlando, New Jersey or New York for the next 28 games. Just keep Miami afloat until Wade makes a hero's return. Just play .500 basketball against a soft schedule and give your teammates a chance to defend their throne. A chance. That's all Miami needs from you now. A chance.
Is that too much to ask of the most physically dominant player in the history of this sport?
When asked if you've ever encountered a player with strength equal to yours, your response is, ``Never, ever, never, ever, ever.''
Now would be a good time to see that kind of strength.
An eight seed in the playoffs is all Miami needs if Wade can return. An eight seed gets Miami back in the game. That isn't asking much of a specimen like you, Shaq. You have not missed the playoffs since your rookie season. Basketball is a game of stars, and there rarely has been one bigger than you.
Is a winning record for 28 games really too much to ask?
Phil Jackson ended your relationship by questioning your work ethic, but you've stayed fit for Pat Riley, even when injured. That is not a small thing. You are immensely proud, and your legacy matters to you. Wade carried Miami through last season's playoffs, to the trophy, but he doesn't get anywhere near it now unless you push his wheelchair from here. You symbolically handed Wade the MVP trophy on the stage after vanquishing Dallas, but he is in too much pain to carry any of this now. It is on you. Here. The team is yours. Do you still have the strength to carry it?
Payton came here to play with you. Udonis Haslem took less money to stay here because he knows how easy the job is next to you. Alonzo Mourning, who had nothing left to prove, returned for the honor of following in your size-22 footsteps. You made basketball matter more the moment you stepped into town, but the franchise is gasping and going underwater with Wade out. You are the world's largest life preserver. Are you prepared to give Miami life? Or is your weight and age going to be an anchor?
Athletes your size and age aren't usually asked to do this much heavy lifting at 35. But what choice does Miami have? All the pieces here were meant to fit around you and Wade. While you were out, Jason Kapono shot an unprecedented percentage from three-point range because of how Wade drew defenders. Wade did his job, keeping Miami in the game with you out. Now, that's your job. To keep Kapono afloat, to keep Riley afloat, to keep the franchise afloat.
You are less consistent than you ever have been. You can't summon the 28-point and 12-rebound averages simply by getting off the bus. But you still are capable of force. You used Dikembe Mutombo, a giant by any measurement, as a Q-tip the other day. And you flashed that pride that is almost as large as you are by dunking on him and wagging an index finger in his face. Miami needs that more now than at any point since you've been here.
Basketball has been very good to you. You have a Star Island mansion with an extravagant backyard area you call Shaqapulco. You estimate your wardrobe alone is worth $2 million. You have more cars than you can count and so many gadgets that there are places in your home accessed only with a scanning of your fingertips. Time to earn those big checks again, Shaq, to repay this team's faith. Your boss, your city and all the Heat's employees from the front office to the end of the bench are banking on you.
Twenty-eight games to push back a couple of mediocre teams.
That can't be too much to ask of one of the giants of sports.
Can it?
You up for it?
You've always taken teams deep into the playoffs, no matter your uniform or your teammates. You've always made your sidekick look better than he was, no matter who he was. You've made champions of spent and limited players such as Rick Fox and Ron Harper and Gary Payton and Antoine Walker.
So what is being requested of you now isn't very much at all.
Be better than Orlando, New Jersey or New York for the next 28 games. Just keep Miami afloat until Wade makes a hero's return. Just play .500 basketball against a soft schedule and give your teammates a chance to defend their throne. A chance. That's all Miami needs from you now. A chance.
Is that too much to ask of the most physically dominant player in the history of this sport?
When asked if you've ever encountered a player with strength equal to yours, your response is, ``Never, ever, never, ever, ever.''
Now would be a good time to see that kind of strength.
An eight seed in the playoffs is all Miami needs if Wade can return. An eight seed gets Miami back in the game. That isn't asking much of a specimen like you, Shaq. You have not missed the playoffs since your rookie season. Basketball is a game of stars, and there rarely has been one bigger than you.
Is a winning record for 28 games really too much to ask?
Phil Jackson ended your relationship by questioning your work ethic, but you've stayed fit for Pat Riley, even when injured. That is not a small thing. You are immensely proud, and your legacy matters to you. Wade carried Miami through last season's playoffs, to the trophy, but he doesn't get anywhere near it now unless you push his wheelchair from here. You symbolically handed Wade the MVP trophy on the stage after vanquishing Dallas, but he is in too much pain to carry any of this now. It is on you. Here. The team is yours. Do you still have the strength to carry it?
Payton came here to play with you. Udonis Haslem took less money to stay here because he knows how easy the job is next to you. Alonzo Mourning, who had nothing left to prove, returned for the honor of following in your size-22 footsteps. You made basketball matter more the moment you stepped into town, but the franchise is gasping and going underwater with Wade out. You are the world's largest life preserver. Are you prepared to give Miami life? Or is your weight and age going to be an anchor?
Athletes your size and age aren't usually asked to do this much heavy lifting at 35. But what choice does Miami have? All the pieces here were meant to fit around you and Wade. While you were out, Jason Kapono shot an unprecedented percentage from three-point range because of how Wade drew defenders. Wade did his job, keeping Miami in the game with you out. Now, that's your job. To keep Kapono afloat, to keep Riley afloat, to keep the franchise afloat.
You are less consistent than you ever have been. You can't summon the 28-point and 12-rebound averages simply by getting off the bus. But you still are capable of force. You used Dikembe Mutombo, a giant by any measurement, as a Q-tip the other day. And you flashed that pride that is almost as large as you are by dunking on him and wagging an index finger in his face. Miami needs that more now than at any point since you've been here.
Basketball has been very good to you. You have a Star Island mansion with an extravagant backyard area you call Shaqapulco. You estimate your wardrobe alone is worth $2 million. You have more cars than you can count and so many gadgets that there are places in your home accessed only with a scanning of your fingertips. Time to earn those big checks again, Shaq, to repay this team's faith. Your boss, your city and all the Heat's employees from the front office to the end of the bench are banking on you.
Twenty-eight games to push back a couple of mediocre teams.
That can't be too much to ask of one of the giants of sports.
Can it?
TimRock said:
Regular season games are not a factor in determining playoff defense.
In the playoffs teams play the same team night in and night out.....Those regular season stats you are quoting is typical of someone that doesn't really understand what they are watching so they go with the numbers formula to keep it simple...There is no better defensive coach in the NBA than Pat Riley......In a seven game series the better team wins............Eddie Jones will be a beast this year in the playoffs....you heard it here first
Last year I told everyone that the Maverdicks have not seen the defense they will be dealing with in the Finals with Miami......you see what happened.....
Acorn Johnson lost his cool when he couldnt keep up with Rileys adjustments and started punking out his team...moving them to a different hotel.....all because he had no answer ....
The playoffs is a different animal......look at any sport and the playoffs always bring about a different result than the reg season indicates..(Chargers, Baltimore)............
At this point it's a matter of heart....this team has plenty......dont be suprised to see Wade back for the playoffs....
TrojansFan said:
The reason your boy came up was because you asked could Shaq win without a suuperstar point guard.......When I go to the inside hoops board that is the common theme for the remaining Kobe fan boys....the shoe fits.....
In the two years Shaq has been gone LA hasnt done shit and is not even in the championship picture. If you were a true LA fan you would not support a punk like Bryant.
Who in the East can really beat the Heat in seven game series?......
You'll see..they have the deepest team in the East .....you don't watch the games or you would have seen their defense and not read the stats......
TimRock said:
This whole thread is about the playoffs.......
Well see
The Heat lost last night....not hitting shots...Kapono will get used to his scoring role...GP, EJ..need to stick to defense.........their shots looked ugly....
Spiritualporn,
That Shaq article was really good. If the Heat come into the playoffs as the 8th seed, they are going to have a BIG PROBLEM. That matches them up with the Pistons first round WITHOUT Wade most likely. The Pistons tend to shut out three point shooters (Kapono) because of perimeter defense is very effective..fast..and we have long lanky players (wallace, prince) that can recover and challenge seemingly open shots. So the only way that outside opens up (without wade) as if Shaq completely dominates the middle. Now considering he poses problems for Wallace and although Chris Webber is playing well Shaq has historically been too much for heartless Webber in the playoffs, it is possible. But I imagine the only way the Heat have a chance is if Shaq completely dominates the middle and can effectively distribute the ball to the outside shooters who will then nail the open shots.
Shaq would have to play the best ball of his entire career to get through Detroit without Wade especially being they would have to win on the road. I am not saying it cant happen, but he literally would have to DOMINATE for that team to get through Detroit Without Wade IMHO...and even with Wade they would still have a challenge...because although not as dominant as the past.. Detroit is still a top notch team that can beat any team in a playoff series.
Hopefully, the Heat can play well and move up to the 7th spot.
That Shaq article was really good. If the Heat come into the playoffs as the 8th seed, they are going to have a BIG PROBLEM. That matches them up with the Pistons first round WITHOUT Wade most likely. The Pistons tend to shut out three point shooters (Kapono) because of perimeter defense is very effective..fast..and we have long lanky players (wallace, prince) that can recover and challenge seemingly open shots. So the only way that outside opens up (without wade) as if Shaq completely dominates the middle. Now considering he poses problems for Wallace and although Chris Webber is playing well Shaq has historically been too much for heartless Webber in the playoffs, it is possible. But I imagine the only way the Heat have a chance is if Shaq completely dominates the middle and can effectively distribute the ball to the outside shooters who will then nail the open shots.
Shaq would have to play the best ball of his entire career to get through Detroit without Wade especially being they would have to win on the road. I am not saying it cant happen, but he literally would have to DOMINATE for that team to get through Detroit Without Wade IMHO...and even with Wade they would still have a challenge...because although not as dominant as the past.. Detroit is still a top notch team that can beat any team in a playoff series.
Hopefully, the Heat can play well and move up to the 7th spot.
TimRock said:
If he just drives a couple times he would be unguardable
http://www.nba.com/games/20070228/MIAWAS/recap.html
Shaq leads team to win with a strong second half...he will lead them to the playoffs.. but this comment from the article is typical Shaq clowning..lol
"I'm known as 'The Big Sewer,''' O'Neal said, "because I've got a lot of you-know-what in my game.''
Shaq leads team to win with a strong second half...he will lead them to the playoffs.. but this comment from the article is typical Shaq clowning..lol
"I'm known as 'The Big Sewer,''' O'Neal said, "because I've got a lot of you-know-what in my game.''
eewwll said:
I agree with you there
The only thing is Flip.........
He is just known to blow shit........
The ECF should always be Detroit and Miami..........
BTW I see Phoniex in the Finals from the west....
Thats Amare...............
eewwll said:
That was a good read..........
Thanks.........
Shaq never gets the credit for being the entertainer he is
The first Dominant NBA big man with personality.
eewwll said:
I thought he just had a bad rep from Minnesota
However when I saw how damn near the whole team turned against him in the last playoff I had my answers...
To go 7 games with Clevland was a coaching fuck up masterpiece.
SpiritualPorn said:
man, that place can be hazardous to your mental health... how do you go there and not get an aneurism?
BGOL fam get bad sometimes, but that place is downright ridiculous... i could spend an entire day wading through (and correcting) the bullshit i see posted there...
as an example, i read a post by one dim bulb who SWORE he had watched the "nine straight games in which [t]obe scored 40 or more points, because he had to carry the fakers while shaquille o'neal was out injured"
all i could do was shake my head, because i didn't feel like logging in just to clown him. of course the poster was "remembering" those nine games from february 2003, but i couldn't understand how he could "forget" that shaquille o'neal played in six of those nine games.
cranrab said:
I have to pick my threads very carefully when I go there........Some real children posts..........They probably watch the game in between Sponge Bob Square Pants..............
The reason it doesn't get out of hand over here is because you bitch slap dumb MF's with the facts so badly they have to come back trying very humble........by the time XFactor talks at them they feel overwhelmed............The Main Board gets out of hand and that quickly gets shut down because a fan boy will always say something stupid.
The discussion at BGOL stays pretty informative...more intelligent analysis....and true BBall history that really doesn't get much air time.....
cranrab said:
I have to pick my threads very carefully when I go there........Some real children posts..........They probably watch the game in between Sponge Bob Square Pants..............
The reason it doesn't get out of hand over here is because you bitch slap dumb MF's with the facts so badly they have to come back very humble........by the time XFactor talks at them they feel overwhelmed............The Main Board gets out of hand and that quickly gets shut down because a fan boy will always say something stupid.
The discussion at BGOL stays pretty informative...more intelligent analysis....and true BBall history that really doesn't get much air time.....
cranrab said:
If the Heat continue to play well WITHOUT Wade... it will be a wrap if he comes back for playoffs and is at least 75 percent. People often have to take into consideration that Shaq is a slow started and has consistently played his best ball later in the year and in the playoffs. The Heat as a team did the same thing last year. The were not fundamentally sound until mid-season if I remember correctly, and then later in the season began showing signs of a team to be watched. Come playoff time, they were playing excellent basketball and carried it all the way through the playoffs.
If they do not match up with the Pistons UNTIL the finals (giving Wade even more time to recover), the obvious advantage (even without home court advantage just like last year) goes to the Heat..if even just on coaching alone.
Statement game? This one yelled through a bullhorn and the message should echo throughout the NBA's Eastern Conference.
This Heat season is not over. Miami's title defense has not been dealt a fatal blow. Shaquille O'Neal can still be, as he claimed following Friday night's 85-82 victory over Detroit, ''the baddest'' man on any NBA court.
And Dwyane Wade should seriously consider -- as every report suggests he is doing -- returning to his team this season in time for the playoffs.
The hang-on-for-dear-life fourth quarter didn't matter so much Friday as the fact the Heat did win to complete its best week of the season.
THREE BIG WINS
Miami has just finished a six-day stretch in which it beat three teams that, barring a total collapse, will be in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It just finished a week in which it beat LeBron James, the best individual now playing in the conference, and the Pistons, the finest team in the conference.
The Washington victory in the middle of those two makes for a delicious sandwich.
Miami emerges from this week showing that, even without Wade, the NBA's best player, it is still a force because O'Neal is, at age 35 and in his 14th season, improving late in the season.
''These are the kinds of wins we need to have,'' coach Pat Riley understated after the game.
Well, no one really needed to sweat Detroit's 22-point comeback that showed why the Heat needs Wade so badly.
The Pistons were getting blown out at halftime, when they decided a zone defense could grind the Heat offense to a virtual second-half standstill.
''The zone gave us all kinds of trouble,'' Riley said.
With rare drive-to-the-basket exceptions by James Posey and Antoine Walker, the Heat didn't have anyone that could slash through holes of the defense during the Pistons' comeback. Slashing, you see, would usually be Flash's assignment.
And it would be again when the Heat and Pistons meet in the playoffs, as they have the past two seasons.
So Wade needs to come back from his dislocated shoulder this season and rejoin a team that still has pride and ego and enough talent to be a factor in the dismal Eastern Conference without him.
And meanwhile, well, this is O'Neal's time, as surely as Friday night was O'Neal's game.
O'Neal scored a season-high 31 points and added 15 rebounds. The guy was only four assists short of a triple-double.
He abused every post player on the Detroit roster save for Rasheed Wallace, who missed the game because of either a bad ankle or a bad case of South Beachitis, pick one.
O'Neal spun left and dunked on Chris Webber.
He spun right and dunked on Dale Davis.
He plowed the lane and dunked on Nazr Mohammed.
At one point during an O'Neal-led 24-6 run in the second quarter, he layed the ball up over Antonio McDyess and was overheard to say, ''This is my court,'' as he walked back up the hardwood.
Quick aside to Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who got outcoached by Riley in last year's conference finals: O'Neal is still formidable, you big dummy. You might want to seriously consider double-teaming the guy.
MOTIVATION
''They didn't do it and I take it personal when people don't double me,'' O'Neal said.
Saunders does get a check mark for resorting to the zone. But that didn't keep O'Neal from taking a charge for a turnover and then hitting two free throws in the final three minutes.
If O'Neal can deliver like this most nights, the Heat will improve its seeding. Riley has spoken to The Diesel to fuel a desire in him and make certain that happens, even while Wade is out.
''He's got to decide what the number one factor is in his life right now, what is it?'' Riley said. ``Obviously, it's got to be basketball.
``It's about his legacy, it's about how he carries this team now, what he does as a leader and how he plays.''
How O'Neal played Friday was reminiscent of his days in Los Angeles, and even Orlando. He made a statement.
And so did the Heat.
This Heat season is not over. Miami's title defense has not been dealt a fatal blow. Shaquille O'Neal can still be, as he claimed following Friday night's 85-82 victory over Detroit, ''the baddest'' man on any NBA court.
And Dwyane Wade should seriously consider -- as every report suggests he is doing -- returning to his team this season in time for the playoffs.
The hang-on-for-dear-life fourth quarter didn't matter so much Friday as the fact the Heat did win to complete its best week of the season.
THREE BIG WINS
Miami has just finished a six-day stretch in which it beat three teams that, barring a total collapse, will be in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It just finished a week in which it beat LeBron James, the best individual now playing in the conference, and the Pistons, the finest team in the conference.
The Washington victory in the middle of those two makes for a delicious sandwich.
Miami emerges from this week showing that, even without Wade, the NBA's best player, it is still a force because O'Neal is, at age 35 and in his 14th season, improving late in the season.
''These are the kinds of wins we need to have,'' coach Pat Riley understated after the game.
Well, no one really needed to sweat Detroit's 22-point comeback that showed why the Heat needs Wade so badly.
The Pistons were getting blown out at halftime, when they decided a zone defense could grind the Heat offense to a virtual second-half standstill.
''The zone gave us all kinds of trouble,'' Riley said.
With rare drive-to-the-basket exceptions by James Posey and Antoine Walker, the Heat didn't have anyone that could slash through holes of the defense during the Pistons' comeback. Slashing, you see, would usually be Flash's assignment.
And it would be again when the Heat and Pistons meet in the playoffs, as they have the past two seasons.
So Wade needs to come back from his dislocated shoulder this season and rejoin a team that still has pride and ego and enough talent to be a factor in the dismal Eastern Conference without him.
And meanwhile, well, this is O'Neal's time, as surely as Friday night was O'Neal's game.
O'Neal scored a season-high 31 points and added 15 rebounds. The guy was only four assists short of a triple-double.
He abused every post player on the Detroit roster save for Rasheed Wallace, who missed the game because of either a bad ankle or a bad case of South Beachitis, pick one.
O'Neal spun left and dunked on Chris Webber.
He spun right and dunked on Dale Davis.
He plowed the lane and dunked on Nazr Mohammed.
At one point during an O'Neal-led 24-6 run in the second quarter, he layed the ball up over Antonio McDyess and was overheard to say, ''This is my court,'' as he walked back up the hardwood.
Quick aside to Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who got outcoached by Riley in last year's conference finals: O'Neal is still formidable, you big dummy. You might want to seriously consider double-teaming the guy.
MOTIVATION
''They didn't do it and I take it personal when people don't double me,'' O'Neal said.
Saunders does get a check mark for resorting to the zone. But that didn't keep O'Neal from taking a charge for a turnover and then hitting two free throws in the final three minutes.
If O'Neal can deliver like this most nights, the Heat will improve its seeding. Riley has spoken to The Diesel to fuel a desire in him and make certain that happens, even while Wade is out.
''He's got to decide what the number one factor is in his life right now, what is it?'' Riley said. ``Obviously, it's got to be basketball.
``It's about his legacy, it's about how he carries this team now, what he does as a leader and how he plays.''
How O'Neal played Friday was reminiscent of his days in Los Angeles, and even Orlando. He made a statement.
And so did the Heat.
http://www.nba.com/games/20070307/CHIMIA/recap.html
Shaq pushes Heat to 5-2 with Wade out. I think this Will the Heat make the Playoffs question is pretty much dead.. also this..can Shaq win without a superstar guard...which should never have been a question in the first place.
Shaq pushes Heat to 5-2 with Wade out. I think this Will the Heat make the Playoffs question is pretty much dead.. also this..can Shaq win without a superstar guard...which should never have been a question in the first place.