Shaquille O’Neal Knows His Role; Steve Nash Has Almost Perfected His
Coach D’Antoni: Here’s the play. Steve, you bring up the ball. Amare, set the pick for Steve. Shaq, get out of the way.
The pick and roll at the top has always been the Suns bread and butter, but then Shaq arrived, and that butter made ya put on an ugly face. Shaq picking and roliing wasn’t working. And, even when the screen was set by Stoudemire, the Big Diesel seemed to get in the way. Steve Nash was having trouble adapting to the big fella. Nash was playing with a dominant big man for the first time in his career, and D’Antoni was putting this big man in a position where he wasn’t going to be successful - at the free throw line and beyond.
Since then, things have been figured out. Shaq either gets the ball in the post, or he gets off the block and watches Steve and Amare work their magic. The key thing is that everyone is doing what they do best. Stoudemire continues to finish at the rim and doesn’t look for Shaq at his spot along the baseline; Shaq isn’t great at finishing from there, but he is useful. Just as the front office planned, he receives the ball down low in post up situations or he gets a feed when he’s stationed only a couple feet from the bucket. Meanwhile, the Nash is free to roam the way he’s been roaming for years. Creating, distributing, getting out on the break, and he’s also hitting his shots.
Which brings us to the two-time MVP that hasn’t won a ring. To me, Nash’s downfall in the playoffs has been that he’s too unselfish. He just doesn’t look for his own shot enough when his team really needs him to. When the postseason gets going and the D tightens up, Nash needs to get a little greedy and stroke that sweet J. I keep thinking of last season, round 2: a game 5 loss to the Spurs when both Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended. As time wound down in a close game, Nash either passed off, or, when he did decide to shoot, his reluctance threw him off just enough so that he’d miss shots he’d made thousands of times.
It isn’t a concern to me that he feels he doesn’t need a ring to validate his career. He has the drive to win; he wouldn’t have come close to this point if he didn’t. I just think he has to change who he is a little bit to get there. Nash has never been a typical NBA player - he’s selfless. Monday against the Nuggets, his 36 point performance was selfish, and it was beautiful. He got hit in the face, he was angry, and he went and got his. Now, we’ve seen Nash score 40+ in the postseason before, but his shots have never won a series. To me, a little helping of “Selfish Steve” would do just that.
The Shaq trade has brought a bit of urgency to the Suns organization, and it surely has made Nash take notice. The front office has made a statement: the time is now. Steve isn’t dumb, he sees it. He also understands that sometimes if you wanna get things done, you just gotta do it yourself.
Comments (19)Just Another Take On The Shaquille O’Neal Trade
Shaq on the Suns, huh? It still seems so odd. I’m not sure how we’ll look back at this season and all its big trades, but is this a Hall of Famer being traded for what he’s done in the past, or will he be that missing link Phoenix needs?
The Suns have been very, very close the last few seasons. A basket here, some common sense by David Stern there, and we’d be talking about this run and gun Suns team as the one that finally won it all with no D. Trading for Shaq does not change the way we should look at this team. Just because one guy runs slower than the rest, it doesn’t make their style any slower. There is no 5 man fast break.
We all know the game slows down in the post season; defenses tighten up, fast break points decrease. Phoenix had a plodder starting for them in the playoffs last season. Similar to Shaq, Kurt Thomas was in the lineup to take up space, keep Amare Stoudemire out of foul trouble, defend and rebound. Shaq is there for all those reasons, and to add a little more offence. This team was still flying up the floor with Thomas and will continue to do so with Shaq. That’s if he can stay on that floor.
Shaq was brought in to do what he did against the Suns on November 9, 2007. He was a beast that night. He beat up Stoudemire so much that Amare got irritated and was tossed for arguing a call. I’m not sure how much Phoenix was swayed by Shaq’s 25 point, 10 rebound, 3 block performance, but it had to have left a mark on GM Steve Kerr. He’s not the only one (bottom) thinking Shaq has plenty left. I, myself, came away from that game totally convinced that The Big Diesel was back. As he makes this new pit stop, can we really doubt him if he is injury free?
As for right now, Shaq looks good in practice. He may be allowing the cameras to only turn on for the play or two he looks like the old Shaq, but either way, he seems pretty healthy. And this Suns medical staff knows injuries. From Amare’s knee, to Steve Nash’s back, to Grant Hill’s body, these guys have seen some ugly things. You have to assume if they give Shaq a good bill of health, they know something we don’t.
And, so does team management. Only one team gets to the top of the pile. It’s never been a question of talent in Phoenix but there has been something missing from their formula. When several talented teams are pulling for the same thing, there has to be an extra jolt of desire and swagger to get to that peak. Enter The Big Aristotle. Shaq might not make the difference on the court with his shooting or passing, but his teammates will play knowing they have a 4-time title winner riding with them. Shaq’s arrival may simply coincide with the ball finally bouncing Phoenix’s way in the playoffs, but sometimes you have to be good, or at least think you’re good, to be lucky.
Comments (5)Shaquille O’Neal: Losing A Step Even Off The Court
Shaq may be the star of this ad but he has nothing to do with the funniest parts - either the kid picking his nose or the jockey slap-attack. Where art thou Shaquille?
Comments (2)Shaq, Did You Realize, That You Were A Champion?
Yesterday morning at Heat training camp Shaquille O’Neal picked up the old rock, looked deep in to its leather perforations and asked it, “Have I told you lately, that I love you?” He’s likely not saying this to his recently divorced wife Shaunie, but I think he’s about to rekindle his passionate affair with the game of basketball.
Some men would cower and play worse with all the emotional weight of a breakup, but not this big fella. I have to believe Shaq will turn those negative energies in to a release on the court. It’s been coming for a long while; he just hasn’t been himself the last couple years. We’re talking about arguably the most unstoppable presence this game has ever seen. Over the last two campaigns, his games played, minutes, points, rebounds and blocks have all declined.
Now, the man is still putting up decent digits, but you’ve got to believe he’s going to reassert himself. When he made the move from LA to Mee-ah-MEE three seasons ago, he was determined to win a few without Kobe Bryant. Yes, the Heat came out on top in 2006, but that wasn’t Shaq Diesel. That was the Dwyane Wade show. The Big Aristotle is better than that. His dad will tell you so.
It’s time this dominating beast becomes a beast again. He’s been training using some new techniques this past offseason. Yoga and ultimate fighting? He must be awakening the flexibility and fiery competitive drive he once had. I see - bold prediction coming up - 75 games in Shaq’s season. Can Miami overcome some poopy parts to its roster? Eee, that’s a lot to overcome. But, if the teams stays healthy, Mr. Shaquille can prove what he’s worth once again.
Comments (5)Shaq And Shaunie O’Neal Are Fu-Shnickens
As you may or may not have heard, Shaq is on the outs with wife Shaunie. Personally, I didn’t think anything bad could happen to him. Maybe I felt this way because of his massive presence. Maybe it’s ’cause he can pack heat as a reserve police officer, or maybe it’s because you need an elephant gun / tranquilizer darts to bring him down.
Or maybe it’s because he’s Shaq - I just thought the guy was invincible. When they were arguing, I figured he would just crack a joke about Kobe’s schnoz, Shaunie would laugh, and that would be the end of it. I suppose no man, no matter how large, is safe from the wrath of matrimony. Or maybe he should have just shut his mouth at this press conference.
Comments (1)Shaquille O’Neal Ballin’ In Beijing
It’s tough to tell thanks to the Robitussin-less camera work, but I’ve got Shaq’s final stat line down at: zero points (on 0-2 shooting), two boards, one assist, one block, one steal and one blatant walk in just two minutes of heated three-on-three action. He doesn’t seem to be trying very hard, though, so I can only guess his mind is preoccupied with buying 24-inch dubs for Yao . . .
Shaq: I Will Give Yao Fancy New Wheels As Wedding Gift [China Daily]
Comments (13)Shaq-Poo
With Shaq struggling to get back in game shape while at the same time fighting crime, it made me think of the other things the multitalented Big Aristotle has accomplished in his career. He’s a glorified county sheriff… whatever. No one can take him seriously in that role. His real shining moments were as a rapper, especially that video with Aaron Carter.
Shaq released 6 albums!? Unbelievable. He did manage to get some pretty decent names on them: Method Man, Eric Sermon, Nate Dogg, Fu-Schnickens, and Warren G head the list, but it seems like his style is perfectly suited for a bunch of 12-year-olds. Any older and his audience would be schnickering endlessly.
Comments (4)Shaq Rocks Burgundy Briefs
It’s true. NBA.com’s Jeff Dengate reports:
Shaq, what’s your favorite color?
In fairness, that question was offered up only because Shaq was harrasing the Boston Globe’s Jackie MacMullan in the interview room. He picked her out of the crowd and coerced her to ask a question. When that was answered, he demanded a second. For the record, Shaq prefers burgundy.
“My favorite color is burgundy. Yeah, burgundy,” O’Neal offered up. “I’m wearing burgundy underwear right now, too.”
Sure the room laughed, but Jackie’s only response was, “That’s more than I wanted to know.”
Chat Session [NBA.com: The Real Time Finals Blog]
Comments (3)Mavs, Heat & TBJ Predictions
Dirk: Hey Jet, you ready to rock ‘n roll?
Jason: Heck, let’s get it.
Dirk: ‘Cuz I’m ready to rock. I’m– I’m ready to fire it up.
Jason: Light it up!
For the first time in a long time, there seems to be no consensus favori– blah, blah, blah– Mavs in 6.
Look, anything I could possibly say about this series has already been said ad nauseam, so I’ll just spare my keyboard the workout and keep this simple.
The Mavs have three things: home-court advantage, a coach who’s shown he can make the necessary adjustments, and a deep bench. I’m confident all three of these factors will play a key part in Stern having to hand good ol’ Larry over to Cuban.
But honestly, the real reason I’m backing the Mavs is because of Dirk. Now I know it sounds crazy – and dang, what a circus it would be – but I think Dirk just might have it in him to go out and average like a 35-15 this series. Seriously, who on this Heat roster can slow him down, let alone stop him? Udonis Haslem? Pleeeeease…
Dirk’s game right now is just head and shoulders (and hair) above the rest. Over the past 6 weeks we’ve watched him go from star (Griz, game-winner), to superstar (Spurs, foul and the throw), to super-duper-star (Suns, cool fifty and the game 6 comeback). Yeah, it’s pretty obvious Dirk has seen the bar, made the jump, and is clearing that shit like some type of freaky German gazelle.
Mavs in 6. Fire it up, Dirk. Fire it up.
– Skeets
Shaq: Can. You. Dig it!?
Forget about the match-ups. Forget about the tempo.
Sometimes this game comes down to will. The winner of this evenly matched series will be the one that is ready to own these games – the team that battles every last second of every last play because they understand the urgency they need to play with in order to win.
Miami is more ready for this series because of their experience. You could see it last week in two very different post game celebrations. The Mavericks were ecstatic – jumping around as if they’d won the entire thing. In Miami, the Heat were much more low key. They truly know they have more work to do while I can’t help but think that the Mavs are just a little too happy to get this far.
I know ‘The Little General’ is exactly that – a very influential leader that can keep his team focused – but on the other side of the floor is a man in his 9th NBA Finals as a Head Coach. However, in the end, a basketball game is won by its players. That’s why it’s even more important that the Heat are led by hungry players who know this opportunity is precious. ‘The Big Diesel’ is desperate to build his legacy and win his 1st ring without Kobe. Payton and Mourning know this may be their last shot. These men will instill their tooth and nail attitude needed to win the championship upon veterans like Walker, Posey and Williams to go along with the grit of Wade and Haslem. In big D, no Maverick has ever played significant minutes in the final round.
The Finals are a different animal. When the Mavs step on the floor for game 1, it will not feel like any other home game they’ve played this playoff.
As the Mavs eyes widen while they soak in the surroundings, the Heat will squint hard and go to work for something they’ve all been waiting for.
– Tas
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The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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