Father Time

Shaquille O'Neal's success in Miami is hard for any Laker fan to see. It's weird seeing the Lakers without the big fella taking up space underneath. While I am impressed with Chris Mihm's performance, he is obviously no Shaq.

After the trade last summer, O'Neal's play this year is probably expected. The split of the Lakers dynasty and the way it happened left a huge chip on Shaq's shoulder. He arrived in training camp in the best shape since his MVP season of 2000. He doesn't lead his team in scoring but he didn't want to. He wanted Dwayne Wade to get the easy buckets and the headlines. Wade has hit some huge shots for his team this season and his relationship with Shaq has brought the Heat into the conversation about winning the NBA Finals.

Since arriving in South Beach, Shaq has shown a side the Lakers didn't have the courage to ask him to play. He has deferred all the attention to his teammate, Wade. He is still the biggest force on the court he has concentrated on doing what Kobe hasn't done yet: He has made his teammates better.

Since Phil Jackson's arrival in LA, Shaq was a different player. He won the league MVP in 2000 along with his first NBA title and coasted to two more titles after that. He cost his team a chance at a fourth title in the fall of 2002 when he delayed the toe surgery and missed a large chunk of the season, creating a hole the Lakers could never recover from. In last year's playoffs he looked old and tired by the time they faced the Pistons in the finals and didn't have any gas in the tank to carry the Lakers to one more title.

Now in Miami, he seems reenergized and his enthusiasm is up as well. He has missed Miami's last three games and I wonder if this isn't a plan to get him rested for the playoffs. I think the Heat could have an easy road to the conference finals. Their first round would be against the Cavs or Sixers, which barring amazing performances from AI or King James they should beat in five or six games. In the next round, right now it would be either the Pacers or Bulls and given the fact that Chicago hasn't made the playoffs since MJ left town the Pacers will probably win that series in six or seven games. Indiana presents an interesting challenge with Jermaine O'Neal, but Indiana lacks the horses and inside presence to keep up with the Heat over a seven game series. Assuming Detroit locks up the second seed in the East, this could be the series that takes the most out of the Diesel. It is essentially the same team that ran Shaq off the floor in the Finals and it will be the test that will tell whether the Heat have the championship moxie or not.

For you Heat fans, enjoy Shaq this season. Hopefully, Shaq has one more amazing, dominating run through the table in the playoffs this year. It could his last best chance at a title before he succumbs to Father Time. He will never have the motivation to show the Lakers they picked the wrong star to keep in town past this season and while his work ethic has been questioned in past offseasons, he will have signed his last contract in the NBA this summer, probably meaning that his summer, NBA title or no, will be filled with Krispy Kremes.

For you Lakers fans, watch Shaq at his best for one last romp through to the Finals. Remember what was good about the years when he and Kobe were the best two players in the NBA and we were fortunate enough to see them play together on the same team and win titles and win them easily.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10