Shaq A Man Of His Word

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DALLAS - He kept his promise.

You remember the promise, the one Shaquille O'Neal made two summers ago when he came to Miami and vowed to deliver an NBA title to the Miami Heat.

It was his promise.

They gave him the key to the city, and swarmed him as he stepped off an 18-wheeler and walked on a red carpet.

Those first footprints by the man they call The Diesel helped lead to the Heat's first NBA title -- a journey of 18 years that culminated Thursday night with a 95-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

O'Neal left L.A. because he wanted out -- in part because of his feud with Kobe Bryant. But O'Neal has no problem sharing the spotlight with Dwyane Wade, the man he says led him to Miami.

`MEANS A LOT'

''It means a lot [to keep the promise],'' O'Neal said. ``I made the promise because of D-Wade. I knew he was a special player. When I was making my transition from L.A. there were only two places I wanted to go. One of the places was in the same conference, and I knew I wouldn't get traded there. The other place was Miami because of D-Wade.

``To be on a championship-caliber team you have to have a great 1-2 punch, and D-Wade is a fabulous player. I felt we could have done it last year, but we just got shorthanded [because of injuries to himself and Wade], and we had to suffer a little bit. But we regrouped. People doubted us all year, but we're a tight-knit group. This is a definition of a team.''

O'Neal had been the largest force in closeout games. But O'Neal was on the bench for most of Miami's stretch run Thursday, and he finished the game with just nine points, 12 rebounds and one block. Not bad numbers for an average player, but not nearly what was expected of O'Neal, who had problems in all three games in Dallas.

Still, bringing O'Neal to Miami seemed to change basketball in South Florida.

''I've been dreaming of this day since I left L.A.,'' O'Neal said. ``I knew we were going to win today. Pat Riley told us. He told us on June 8 that we would win on June 20. He told us.

''I couldn't sleep last night. I couldn't sleep today,'' said O'Neal, who had delivered for the Heat in their two previous Game 6 closeout games against Chicago and Detroit, scoring 58 points, grabbing 36 rebounds and blocking seven shots.

But O'Neal played only 30 minutes and was on the bench when the Heat ended it.

''I wasn't thinking about anything,'' said O'Neal, who has now won four titles. He said he wanted to come to Miami in part because of Riley.

''Pat Riley is the best coach I've ever had,'' O'Neal said.</div>

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<div class="quote_poster">Quoting authentiq:</div><div class="quote_post">I was wondering, which team was this??</div>

If it was the Clippers, he's a hypocrite. The Lakers had a deal lined up with the Clippers for Brand, Q Rich (S&T) and another filler.