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Shaquille of the Century
The Louisiana Purchase.
Stock in Apple.
Trading for Shaquille O’neal.
Somethings shouldnt be so obvious, yet are. What do all of these have in common? When these deals were made, they became very lucrative – almost one-sided.
Case in point – the Heat’s fortunes vs. the Lakers. LA sided with Kobe. Now they have a marvelous 32-36 record, a 7 game losing streak, and are struggling to stay in the playoff picture. They also decided to go with a guard who seems to be more prima donna than prime.
The Heat? 52-17 record, best in the East and gunning for the NBA best record. They clinched a playoff spot. They recently completed a 12 game winning streak. They are averaging 101.9 points a game and giving up only 94.7 per contest.
Last year, it seems the fortunes were reversed for each franchise. Well, sort of. The Heat were 42-40 at the end of last season, becoming one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA to make the playoffs and make some noise. They were young and exciting, but not an elite franchise. The Lakers were – and bounced their way into another NBA Finals. They haven’t looked back since because they lack the vision to do so.
The Shaq trade turned things around for both franchises. Up for the Heat, down for the Lakers. Sure, the Lakers play in the Western conference were teams are a little more talented. But that has quickly been changing – just look at the flurry of deals that came at the trade deadline. And check out the East’s young and promising talents – which comprise the best in the NBA. It isnt like the Lakers didnt get any talent in return – they got pretty much the core of that young, brash Heat team that pushed itself into the playoffs at the end of last season. Well, minus Dwyane Wade of course.
But maybe that is the difference between last year’s Heat team and this year’s Lakers: Wade. The Heat were 34-27 with Wade last year. The Lakers are 26-28 with Kobe this year.
Don’t think that the Lakers miss Shaq? Still think they didn’t make a mistake choosing Kobe over Shaq?
Well, I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you cheap.
A Bold Statement
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Three weeks ago, it appeared that Miami would have to stave off the Detroit Pistons to maintain their Conference lead.
Three weeks ago, pessimism and doubt filled the minds of Heat fans as Shaquille O’Neal limped gingerly on the most expensive leg in America.
Three weeks ago, 60 wins seemed farfetched and an unlikely goal–
Luckily for Miami, a lot can happen in three weeks that can change the fate of a basketball team. Currently riding a hefty twelve game winning streak, Miami has reeled off 15 straight home wins, and has not lost in regulation since February 1st against Dallas. Since then, the Heat have totaled 19 wins and a paltry 2 losses (both in overtime, without the presence of the ‘Godfather’).
The Conference? Well, 21 days ago Miami held a slim, and uncomfortable 4 1/2 game lead over Detroit. Now, that margin has swelled to 8 1/2 with a mere 14 games left on the schedule. I don’t want to jinx Miami, and I’m not going to utter any blasphemous words, but we all know how the standings will look in the East once the regular season has ended.
What about the physical condition of Miami’s most beloved ‘Daddy’? Three weeks ago, that nasty little fall against Chicago gutted the hearts of all South Floridians; luckily, that injury was relatively minor, and it only kept Shaq out for 3 games. During the ‘Shaq-less’ trilogy, Dwyane Wade came into his own once more, and proved to the NBA world that he is not merely a product of Shaquille O’Neal’s presence. Flash is the real deal, folks–make no mistake about that. It would be all-too-easy for me to divulge into a Wade-oriented column right now, but I’ll save that for another time.
And how about that magical number–sixty? On February 26, Miami stood 40-16, and seemed to reach an inconsistent and uneasy stretch of play. How could anyone have guessed what was soon to come–a twelve game winning streak and a trip to the top of league rankings. Now, at 52-16, Miami has to finish the season on a medial 8-5 run to give them 60 wins. But why stop there? The Heatians, already one game ahead of both Phoenix and San Antonio atop the standings, have a legitimate shot to gain full court advantage throughout the playoffs–and with the way they have been playing at home this season, I’d wager it’s a fairly valuable objective for the team. A few weeks ago, 60 wins would have been a privaledge and a mighty goal–but at this point, is it too ambitious to imagine 65? (That would require a 13-1 finish)
Questions have been answered, and missing pieces have been filled. With the sudden (yet not completely unexpected) return of Christian Laettner’s lingering foot problems, Alonzo Mourning has found himself a spot in the power rotation. Stan Van Gundy promised us that ‘things would work themselves out’, and he was right. While angered and eager fans echoed the walls of American Airline’s Arena every game with chants of ‘Zo!’, Stan kept to his gameplan, and wouldn’t give in to the pressure of 20,000 frustrated spectators. Good for him!
Shandon Anderson has emerged as Miami’s defensive stopper, and has solidified his position as the 7th or 8th man off the bench. Keyon Dooling, a young speedster who was plagued with inconsistency earlier in the season, has landed the coveted 6th man role after proving his value as both a great defender, and an aggressive scorer. Another puzzling situation for Miami was Damon Jones’ inability to stay with his man on defense–but throughout the course of the season, he has been playing much better on both sides of the ball (and do not overlook his importance come playoff time, with plenty of talented point guard’s stepping up their games in crunch time).
So that’s that, right? Miami is on a roll, and the team is gelling like Jose Canseco’s hair; they’ve gained momentum down the stretch, and currently hold the top seed in the NBA; and the concern over Shaquille O’Neal’s “tender” bones has quickly passed. What more can the city of Miami ask for?
Well, for one–a championship,
two–a contract extension for Shaq
and three–
Let’s do it again next year.
The Heat are the class of the NBA
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I am going all in. Putting all the chips on the table now. After watching the Heat take on the Lakers the other night, I came away even more impressed than I thought I could possibly be with this team.
They killed off a desperate team in the Lakers that had a lot to play for. Just ask Kobe, jawwing with Dwyane Wade like a jealous ex-girlfriend. The rivalry of Kobe-Shaq has also grown to include Wade. Because Kobe could not have it any other way.
Yet, even Wade’s dominance over Kobe withstanding (witness Wade’s 11 second half points to Kobe’s 4), this was more about the Heat as a team. Wade’s growth is just a barometer of how much this Heat team has grown.
Since Feb. 1, the Heat have lost 3 games. Three. One, two, three…that is it folks. And two of those games? OT losses to the Pacers and Bulls, without Shaq. But it isnt just the wins, but how they have won. The only game in this current winning streak, now up to 11 games, that was played with any sense of competition was the Knicks game the other night. Which only saw Wade hit a game winning buzzer beater in front of the crowd at MSG. A game the Heat played bad enough to lose, but somehow righted the ship and came back from 13 down in the 4th quarter to beat the Knicks on their home turf.
This team has grown and is up for the challenge. DJ is hitting his threes. EJ continues to pour his heart out on the court and defending out of position at SF. Haslem keeps putting up very good numbers each night out. The bench is strong and getting great production from everyone who sees the floor. Just as Zo and Steve Smith who have yet to see significant time themselves. And they could care less because they are just here to help.
There is no team in the NBA that is getting better individual performances each night from not only their star players, but also their bench. There is no team in the NBA that is winning like the Heat are, well, except the Celtics. But the fact that the Celtics are getting a lot of press for their streak and the Heat are not says something. Perhaps, it has already become something to be expected for the Heat. We all are waiting for something bigger and greater.
Right now, there is no team better prepared to show us something extraordinary. The Heat are the best the NBA has to offer right now.
Controversy Atop the League Rankings
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There has been little doubt in anyone’s mind that the Miami Heat would be contenders this year. From the warmth of Summer, through the cold snaps of Winter, Miami has all but proven their dominance of the Eastern Conference. Fielding a team strewn together by the magnificent Pat Riley, Miami currently flaunts the best record in the Conference, at 42-16. But, for whatever reason, there is constant speculation regarding the Heat’s position as the elite team of the East.
Having already equaled their win total from last year with 24 games remaining, Miami has an outside chance at eclipsing 60 wins for only the second time in the franchise’s 18 years of existence. Even in the midst of Shaquille O’Neals absence (due to injury), Miami has strung together four impressive games against playoff-bound teams. The Heat boast arguably two of the top ten players in the NBA, and have integrated two seasoned veterans into the team within the past week (Alonzo Mourning and Steve Smith). Thus far, winning has been a way of life for these “Heatians,” and their supremacy of the Eastern Conference is evident by their five game lead over the next best team–the Detroit Pistons.
But something happened during the last two weeks; something that almost seemed inveitable–Detroit realized that they were the defending World Champions. Undefeated since the All-Star break, and 12-1 in their last thirteen, the Pistons have once again found themselves in the limelight–and have subsequently stolen some of that attention away from Miami. NBA analysts, commentators, reporters and columnists had seemed to favor Miami during the early parts of the season, stemming from a masterful 14-game winning streak en route to a 15-1 record in December. Then, Detroit was struggling in the aftermath of the imfamous ‘brawl’ with Indiana in mid-November. But lately, they’ve been playing like everyone had originally expected–with command and authority.
So as we enter the month of March, and find ourselves in the so-called ’stretch run’, Detroit has tipped the scale in their favor. Somewhere along the way, they remembered how to play together–as the cohesive group that dominated the Lakers in the NBA Finals last year. Does the Piston’s resurgence have a meaningful effect on Miami? Can the Heat manage to maintain that five game Conference lead until the dominion of Spring?
They’ve shown heart and discipline through the first 58 games of the schedule–and now, in the face of adversity, they must once again prove their dominance of the East. At 29-6 against their Conference, and 12-0 against their division, it’s hard to pencil them in as the underdog. But come playoff time, against the experienced and proven Pistons, Miami will have a chance to quiet the speculation, and silence the critics. Clinching home court advantage is the first step, and barring injury, the number one seed is a realistic outcome…
But along the route to the Championship lays one significant roadblock: Detroit–and they are not likely to relinquish their title without a fight. It’s hard to predict the future, especially with so many uncertainties of basketball; the possibility of a dark horse taking the crown is always a concern. The window of opportunity for Miami is somewhat minimized by the age and health of the ‘Daddy’, so one thing is for sure: This could be it–the one chance for Miami to shine above the rest. The Championship is theirs for the taking…
Now they have to go and get it.
edit: A little more than an hour after this article was posted, the Pistons/Heat debate was discussed on “Pardon the Interruption” on ESPN. Both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon picked the Pistons…
Zo Returns – it’s official
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Today around midday, the Heat officially added Alonzo Mourning to their roster. In order to do so, they released Wesley Person, whom the Heat had been in negotiations about a buy out of his contract. Person is owed $1.8M through the end of next season and since he was waived today on March 1st, he is eligible to be on another team’s roster for the playoffs.
As for Mourning, this is the culmination of a season of speculation. The rumors started at the beginning of the season when a disgruntled Mourning mused about getting a buyout to join a team that was in a better spot to contend. The deals the Nets made in the offseason seemed to damper his ideas about the Nets chances. The game early on in the regular season that saw Zo matchup with Shaq created further speculation and compelled people to speculate. Eventually, Zo was traded to the Raptors, along with other players, for Vince Carter – but Mourning never reported. Eventually, the Raptors bought out Zo’s contract and freed him up to join the Heat about two weeks ago.
So, the odyssey is over and Zo has returned home to Miami. Now, the speculation and criticism will become heightened as the Heat make their march to the playoffs. It remains to be seen how Mourning will mesh with this Heat team which is currently playing some very good basketball without Shaq. This definetly adds a lot of depth to this already deep Heat team.
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