<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">TORONTO ? Heat center Shaquille O'Neal missed his 20th game of the season Wednesday at Toronto because of a hyperextended left knee that he thinks is a result of being kicked during Monday's game against Indiana. O'Neal's absence, combined with the absence of backup center Alonzo Mourning (left calf strain) left the Heat without its two top centers ? and its two best defensive enforcers ? for the first time this season. O'Neal didn't speak with reporters before Wednesday's game, but coach Pat Riley said the injury "came out of nowhere." "He has a little irritation on his knee," Riley said. "I don't think its any more than that. He sort of experienced it (Wednesday) morning. We'll see how it goes." Miami is off until a 2 p.m. Saturday game at Cleveland. The Heat isn't scheduled to practice today, and it's unknown whether O'Neal will practice Friday or play Saturday. The Heat entered Wednesday's game 9-10 without O'Neal. It was 9-9 in the 18 games he missed due to a right ankle injury and it lost at Minnesota when O'Neal was out with a sprained right thumb he sustained against New York on March 19, when he was hacked from behind by center Eddy Curry and also banged his hand on the rim attempting a dunk. Last season O'Neal missed nine games ? three because of a sprained left knee, three because of a stomach virus, one because of a left calf contusion and the season's final two games because of the left thigh bruise that dogged him throughout the playoffs. Before last season, O'Neal had missed 15 games in each of the previous three seasons. It ain't fair: Riley said O'Neal won't be happy about missing a game for his next flagrant foul. O'Neal has the league limit of five and his next one will bring an automatic one-game suspension, which will cost him $222,000. "It's $220,000, if he does (get another flagrant foul), so I think he's not very happy being in that situation," Riley said. "I mean it. Everybody can chuckle about that, but he gets pounded more than anybody in the back of the head (and) harder than anybody, and it's almost laughable to me because he's bigger, when somebody runs into him or he gives a hard foul it's automatically called (against) him for five flagrants. "How many times this year has somebody who has smacked him been called for a flagrant foul? I can't remember maybe one time and he's got hit 100 times. So it's a double standard, it really is, and it's unfair to him, but he has to deal with it."</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting NTC187:</div><div class="quote_post">How is this Pistons news?</div> Oops. My bad. Moved to the Heat Forum.
