Shaq Was Right
And he made good on his promise.
It only took him 2 years to do it and yes he had a lot of help from D WADE
Shaq on verge of fulfilling promise of championship
June 3, 2006
By Ethan Skolnick
Special to CBS SportsLine.com
MIAMI -- Upon his 1995 introduction on the deck of Micky Arison's Carnival Imagination, Pat Riley said he envisioned a championship parade, but one unfortunate event after another killed plans for such a party.
So the celebration on July 21, 2004, was the closest South Florida had come. That's when Shaquille O'Neal hopped out of an 18-wheel diesel truck featuring his giant mug, armed with a Super Soaker, a goofy smile and a vow to belatedly fulfill Riley's vision.
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| Shaquille O'Neal has 28 points and 16 rebounds in Miami's victory. (Getty Images) |
"Remember this," O'Neal announced that day. "I'm going to bring a championship to Miami. I promise!"
He told the "beautiful" people that he would add more energy to the city, and that it would have no regrets: "Get your tickets now. Buy cable now. Get your jerseys now. Pull your boats up to the docking stations now. Bring your Sea-Doos now. If you can't afford a Sea-Doo, get a raft. If you can't afford a raft, go to Wal-Mart and get the blow-up raft like I got at my house."
Friday, Miami finally got to see that he was serious. Friday, Miami got a glimpse of the O'Neal of old, instead of an old O'Neal. Friday, behind a once-again dominant center, the Miami Heat finally got past the Detroit Pistons 95-78 and Miami got within four NBA Finals wins of that parade.
In the clinching Game 6, O'Neal got to fulfill several promises.
"I promised my kids I wouldn't lose today," O'Neal said in the postgame locker room.
He promised his father he would go stronger.
He made promises to his teammates, too.
Dwyane Wade had spent the morning at the hospital, rehydrating, recuperating, sipping tea and applying vapor rub.
"He just told me to come in and pace myself," Wade said. "He said the guys are ready today so you ain't got to do it all today -- just pace yourself."
Jason Williams, Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem had spent much of the series struggling. Heat fans had spent the past 44 hours worrying, wondering if this would be just another cruel disappointment.
Nothing to stress about, as it turned out.
O'Neal: 28 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, countless shot changes and tireless effort.
One clinching victory.
Four wins to go.
"The job is not done," O'Neal said.
Only the Pistons are, because of O'Neal's job exceptionally well done. They had eliminated him in two successive postseasons, but Friday they had no answer. He had a block before Detroit had a basket. He had a consistent presence in the defensive lane, enough to keep making Chauncey Billups think twice and pull back.
"Shaq took away a lot of easy shots," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said, after watching his team play chuck and chase, with Billups missing 11 of 14 and Rasheed Wallace clanking on 8 of 12.
And O'Neal got a lot of easy ones himself, either on hooks or dunks after getting deep position, or on putbacks. He had 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting by halftime, and consequently the Heat had an 11-point lead, energizing the crowd and his teammates while calming everyone's fears.
Then he had one spectacular final sequence to send the Pistons griping into the offseason.
He had just committed a turnover. A 20-point lead had shrunk to 13. Richard Hamilton had finally gotten loose, scoring 12 straight Piston points. Then Hamilton had a steal, and a chance to cut the lead back to 11 with six minutes left.
Hamilton drove.
O'Neal pinned his layup by the basket, then recovered the rebound, then rumbled down the floor, snatched a Williams pass and dunked.
Rally killed.
Heat alive.
"Without him, we probably wouldn't be there tonight," Riley said.
Because of him, and Williams' signature game in a Heat uniform (hitting his first 10 shots), they will be in Dallas or Phoenix on Thursday.
Either opponent will present problems for O'Neal, because of styles that tend to take him out of the action. Each was 2-0 against Miami this season. But that's another day's worry.
"I just told the guys that they can come to me, whenever they need a bucket just come to me," O'Neal said. "For the first five or six minutes I actually didn't touch the ball and I got a little worried, but everyone else was playing so well, I just became a role player until they came to me."
He didn't come toward the Eastern Conference trophy after the game was over, just as he has refused to come speak at the podium until he reached the NBA Finals. That wasn't all he promised, after all, and it isn't how he will stamp his legacy. He wants a fourth championship, which would be one more than contemporary superstar Tim Duncan, and now he has his shot.
Miami has its shot.
He is 34.
Who knows when each will get another?
"He's in a great flow right now," said Alonzo Mourning, the former rival turned friend, taken one spot behind O'Neal in the 1992 draft. "His timing is there. He's in great health. We're gonna ride his shoulders all the way to the top."
No need. Even after the city's climbed on, there's still plenty of room on that raft.
Vintage Shaq
The Diesel was in full effect tonight.
28 points. 16 rebounds. 5 blocks.
Shaquille O'Neal #32 of the Miami Heat dunks over Ben Wallace #3 of the Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter)
Oh yeah, and Wade is just Awesome.
Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat drives against Richard Hamilton #32 of the Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant)
I really don't see the Mavs or the Suns stopping them.
After that game…
from yahoo sports
Basketball babies: Kobe, Shaq become fathers again
Just like old times, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal are celebrating. The former Lakers teammates became fathers again Monday when their wives gave birth to girls six minutes apart.
Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born at 2:03 a.m. PDT in Orange County, Calif. Kobe and Vanessa Bryant are already parents to 3-year-old Natalia.
"The arrival of our new daughter Gianna early this morning is such an incredible blessing for me and my family," Bryant said in a statement. "We are all full of beautiful emotions after such an incredible day."
Shaquille and Shaunie O'Neal became parents for the sixth time when Mearah Sanaa O'Neal was born at 4:57 a.m. EDT in a South Florida hospital.
It's the third girl for the O'Neals, with Mearah joining sisters Taahirah and Amirah and brothers Myles, Shareef and Shaqir, who turned 3 last month.
Both mothers and their new babies were said to be doing well.
Fatherhood helped O'Neal and Bryant end the feud that led to the breakup of their pairing with the Lakers. When the Miami Heat played at Los Angeles in January, O'Neal congratulated Bryant on the birth of his daughter and the impending birth of the second one.
Bryant and O'Neal are both in the playoffs. Bryant's winning shot in overtime Sunday gave the Lakers a 99-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns and a 3-1 lead in their series. The Heat and Chicago Bulls are tied at two games apiece in their series.
Bryant didn't attend practice Monday or travel with his teammates to Phoenix for Game 5, to be played Tuesday night.
"I told him not to worry about that, to come when he can and get the rest he needs," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Hopefully he'll get there tonight, or if not, shootaround tomorrow.
"There's a huge emotional feeling about having a child that's just beyond belief. We're happy for him. The timing's right, he'll have some rest, but I'm sure it's not easy to sleep after all those things happen."
It’s Official
Shaquille O'Neal has been traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and a future first round pick.
The balance of power has shifted back to the Eastern Conference (even though the Pistons would say it alread did shift, now its officially shifted)
Trading Shaq?
I really don't see it happening. No team is going to give up the 4 or 5 players required to make the trade work. I guess Dallas, Memphis, or New Jersey have the best chances cause they have the best players to offer LA but I just don't see it happening. There is a greater chance that Kobe leaves I guess, but I have a feeling that he'll be back too. I just have to remain optimistic cause I can't really deal with both of them leaving. Shaq will be payed 28 million this year and 30 million next year, so teams would have to get a collection of players together whose total pay is near that to make the deal even close. Is Shaq worth trading the farm too? Part of me says yes, but then whoever does pull that trigger would have a lot of holes to fill with young inexperienced players who probably don't know how to play the game right.
Next Year’s Lakers
Okay, I've thought about it and I see this as an acceptable solution.
Phil Jackson retires.
Karl Malone retires.
Kobe Bryant is acquitted and stays.
Gary Payton stays.
Derek Fisher stays.
Shaquille O'Neal stays.
A new coach is hired (George Karl, who else is available that doesn't stink?)
Size, shooting, and depth is bought in free agency.
Fresh legs are drafted.
on another note, i am going to be using this new blog to track fantasy related sports stuff about my teams; http://www.twobs.com/fantasy/
It sounds simple
But it isn't.
Lakers need a couple of the following to win tonight
1. Shaq scores 50
2. Shaq gobbles up 25 rebounds
3. Kobe scores 50
4. Someone else scores at least 15
5. Kareem Rush makes 5 3-pointers
6. Karl musters up the strength to play as if its his last game ever
7. Slava doesn't suck.
8. Chauncey Billups gets knocked on his ass and breaks his ankle.
9. Rasheed gets 2 technicals and gets kicked out of the game.
10. Implementation of the Hack-A-Ben strategy. Ben Wallace is the NBA's worst FT shooter all-time.
11. Deveon George doesn't suck.
12. Luke Walton has a Bill Walton type performance.
13. Shaq makes 20-25 free throws.
14. Kobe makes more shots than he misses.
15. The Refs need to call a foul when a foul is a foul.
There are more things that need to happen but if a couple of these happen then the Lakers can force a Game 6 and bring the series back to LA. If not, then congrats go to the better team.
As Snoop would say, Ain't nothing to it but to do it.
NBA Finals Game 2
Oh my gosh! Last night's basketball game was so intense. The lead kept going back and forth, forth and back. Lakers had a couple runs and Pistons kept answering back. Unfortunately near the end the Pistons answered back one too many times. I could feel the game slipping away. There was a minute left, the Lakers were down by 6, and the Pistons had the ball. It was getting ugly. Then the Lakers made a stop. Shaq got the ball down low, turned and banked it, and 1. To Shaq's defense, he did make it when it counted, and now the Pistons were up by 3 with 30 seconds left. Chauncey Billups, as he easily had the entire game, deeked Fish and drove to the hoop. Fish tried to draw the offensive foul, didn't get the call, but it didn't matter cause he bricked it. Rebound Shaq. Lakers ball with 10 seconds left. Here's where the nerves were most sensible. I could feel it. Either something special was going to happen or we could basically kiss the championship good bye. It was now or forget about it. Oh baby! Intense. Inbound to Shaq. (Please don't foul) Pass to Luke, screen for Kobe. Kobe gets ball. Prince was screened, so Rip had to guard Kobe. Kobe gets his balance, matches Rip up.. goes back...lets it rip.. and BANG!! MAKES IT!!! Unbelieveable.. (Later Kobe would say that it was his second biggest shot ever, second to the shot that beat Rip's team in high school -haha-). Tie game! WOW! Pistons still have 2 seconds. They try to inbound but Luke Walton gets a fingernail on the inbound pass and Karl recovers!! Wo!! Overtime!!
In overtime the Lakers were dominate. Even with Shaq and Kobe in extreme foul trouble, it did not matter. A couple baskets each and then the MVP of the game, Luke Walton made an excellent pass to alley-oop Shaq. Luke played excellent and set a record for a rookie in his first finals game with 8 assists beating a mark previously set by none other than Magic Johnson.
What a great game. That will definately be one of those games they toss over to ESPN Classic. Hell, I would not be suprised if it becomes and Instant Classic and you can re-watch it this weekend.
Another look=>
p.s. It goes in.
Lakers Advance
Lakers beat the Timberwolves 4-2 to advance to the NBA Finals. They'll face either Indiana or Detroit.
Los Angeles Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal (L) dunks over Minnesota Timberwolves Oliver Miller. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant slam dunks over the outstretched arm of Minnesota Timberwolves' Michael Olowokandi during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, Monday, May 31, 2004, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
It’s Alive
Shaq and company look to close out the trailing Timberwolves in Minnesota tonight! Be ready!
Lakers Tie It Up
THAT WAS AWESOME
Kobe was spectacular with 42 points. Shaq played solid. Payton was strong. The team did well today and won to tie up the series against San Antonio 2-2. Great stuff.
Los Angeles' Lakers Shaquille O'Neal (R) dunks against San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan during Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals in Los Angeles May 11, 2004. The defending NBA champion Spurs lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
Shaq Yao 11
Tonight is Shaq vs Yao volumne 11 as the Lakers battle the Rockets in game 5 of the first round. If they win, they will face a tough defending champion San Antonio Spurs team. Lakers will have home court advantage but Duncan and co. will be tough. First thing first, Shaq needs to dominate Yao one more time.
Lakers win again
Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant flies to the basket for two points against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter of their first-round Western Conference NBA playoff game Monday, Apr. 19, 2004, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
**Watch this play**
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Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were once again amazing as they beat the Houston Rockets 98-84 to go up 2-0 in their first round playoff series.
Shaquille had a career playoff low 7 points, Karl Malone hit a high percentage of his shots, Kareem Rush had a pair of threes, Derek Fischer had a pair of threes, and even Luke Walton hit a three at one point.
The Rockets kept it close in the first half, but the Lakers exploded in the third quarter and never looked back. Steve Francis had a triple double in the losing effort.
Game 3 is in Houston, Friday night.
Kobe hits the game winner
Lakers win Shaq/Yao 5, 96-93.
Kobe had 7 assists in the first quarter. Shaq scores 28 while going 2-13 from the charity stripe. Recap
All Star Weekend
The NBA All Star game was entertaining. Shaq in full effect. Kobe having a good game. The East a lot stronger than people would have expected, and they should have won the game. Bob Jones's cousin; Fred, won the worst dunk contest ever. The dunk Richardson did was the coolest dunk I have ever seen. The rookie game was extremely entertaining as I am a big fan of Carmelo and LeBron. I'm glad the West won the game. I hope the Lakers can cut through the bullshit, keep Phil, keep Kobe, and continue to stack on the NBA championships.
Shaq is the best
Who is the one player you would want to build an NBA Team around?
Lebron James 44.8%
Shaquille O'Neal 55.1%
Total Votes 61,703
Great game tonight against the Cavs. Went into overtime. Shaq played well. Lebron was exciting. The Lakers won. Good stuff. 37 for Shaq, 32 for Lebron, and 30 for Gary Payton. Missing Karl and Kobe. 113-106
Go Kobe!
I watched Kobe last night in his first game back from an offseason knee and shoulder surgery. He did look a little bit rusty but it was very good to see him back. He had some bad shots here and there but he also had a couple of sweet passes to his fellow teammates.
It was exciting to see the new look Lakers last night in their second to last preseason game. I am really glad to be rooting for Gary Payton and Karl Malone now that they are on our side of the benches and not the opposing. Derek Fisher who is still on the team is great, but Payton is an obvious upgrade at the point position. I see Fisher providing some much needed bench support when we get much deeper into the playoffs. Gary Payton is a future hall of famer who spent his entire career in Seattle before being traded midway through last season to Milwaukee. Malone who replaces the now departed Robert Horry is also another future hall of fame player who spent his entire career in Utah before decided to sign with the Lakers in the offseason. Both of these players took very significant paycuts to join the Lakers. Both players have never won a championship and that is the plan. Last year Payton and Malone made a combined 30 million and now this year they signed for about 6 million combined.
Shaq also looked very good last night. He is a little trimmer which is scarry if you are his opponents. Hopefully he doesn't have any injuries this year and can last the full 82 games. Devean George rolled his ankle in the third quarter which was the same injury he suffered in the playoffs last year. I thought he was more seriously hurt than he was, but he came back in the game.
In the end, the Lakers lost to the fellow home town Clippers but it was meaningless. The regular season starts Tuesday and they face off against the also upgraded Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers are going to be SICK next year
Gary Payton
Karl Malone
Shaq
Kobe
--man, forget about it...
Jack is Back
The Lakers have been dethroned. It's ok. They just won 3 championships in a row. It's time for someone else. They have Shaq, the have Kobe, but no one else gave much help. Fisher, Fox, George, Horry all did nothing in support. Kobe was off tonight. They got beat by 28 points. It was almost a bad joke at the end. Whatever. It's ok. Next year just began.
100 people in a trailor? What the f?
"The driver, Tyrone Williams of Schenectady, N.Y., at first told authorities he thought his trailer was empty, then admitted he was paid $2,500 by two men to take 16 immigrants from the Mexican border into South Texas, according to court papers.
He claimed he did not watch as the immigrants were loaded into his trailer Tuesday night, though he could feel the truck rocking back and forth as he sat in the cab.
The trailer was actually packed with 100 men, women and children from Mexico and Central America.
Seventeen died inside and another at a hospital in Victoria, where the trailer was discovered abandoned early Wednesday. It was the deadliest immigrant-smuggling scheme in the United States in at least 16 years."
full story
We need more people like Jack Bauer and David Palmer in the Government
