<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Shaquille O'Neal may be one of the best basketball players on the planet, but he should have been benched in this year's National Basketball Association championships. </div> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=reut...uters&type=lgns
The Heat did play better with Alonzo Mourning on the floor. Every time Alonzo came in the game, Dallas stopped attacking the rim, because Zo was blocking or altering shots. He changed the momentum of the game when he was on the floor and made a huge impact on defense for Miami. Shaq doesn't match up well against a team like Dallas.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Heat did play better with Alonzo Mourning on the floor. Every time Alonzo came in the game, Dallas stopped attacking the rim, because Zo was blocking or altering shots. He changed the momentum of the game when he was on the floor and made a huge impact on defense for Miami. Shaq doesn't match up well against a team like Dallas.</div> thats definitely true(which is hard for me to admit) but at the same time shaq probably brought more offensively. and also, riley couldve seen it as: okay, well shaqs already been here many times before, hes got more experience in this situation. imo, that was probably the reason why riley played him over 'zo.
<div class="quote_poster">thedude9990 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">or mayeb cause its shaq! lol its kind of hard to bench a guy of his skill/size/force etc</div> well, yeah. theres that simple fact also. i just wanted to get more detailed, hahaha.
Well, Miami did win the championships right? Dwyane Wade came through after being down 2-0 in the Finals, and he was the biggest factor out of him, Shaq and Alonzo. That is true about Alonzo being more of a force in the paint, then Shaq was.
I'm thinking the Mavs probably expended more energy on Shaq, and the constant double teaming on Shaq made it easier on Shaq's teammates. As well I think Wade steps up when Shaq is off the floor. If Zo received the constant double teams that Shaq did and had to play against fresh starters his effectiveness wouldn't resemble the same effectiveness he had with his role.
Shaq doesn't get double teamed any more and the Mavs play a lot of zone defense. However, I think Shaq's presence on the floor makes it easier for DWade on offense. Shaq can occupy one side of the court, while Wade slashes down the opposite end. Shaq is also a much better playmaker than Zo, and does a great job of finding a player cutting down the lane. The Heat are fortunate to have the luxury to going with two capable centers and not losing much production.
Shaq was getting double teammed a lot in the Finals. Damp would be behind Shaq and Nowitzki, KVH, or Josh Howard were coming over and doubling all the time. The commentators were surprized at how much they were doubling from what I remembered.
<div class="quote_poster">SkiptoMyLue11 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Shaq was getting double teammed a lot in the Finals. Damp would be behind Shaq and Nowitzki, KVH, or Josh Howard were coming over and doubling all the time. The commentators were surprized at how much they were doubling from what I remembered.</div> To be honest I don't remember the Mavs doubling often on Shaq. I remember them trying to get the ball out of Wade's hands, but he kept splitting the defense. Wade was also hitting his jumpshots, which made him impossible to defend. I'm sure the Mavs had a few defensive sequences when they double teamed Shaq, but Erick Dampier has always been able to defend Shaq one on one. Maybe Dirk and Howard collapsed down low on Shaq, but I don't remember any aggressive double teams by Dallas in the series.
Well last year in the final game of the series, it was when Zo came on the court in the 2nd half that the Heat made their big run. He was very energetic and matched up well, blocking shots and playing sound defense. I don't remember the number of blocks he had, but he had quite a few and had his share of shot changers.
Man, Zo needs to be a starter in the league. He'd be great on another team and would average 14-8 and 3 blks and I'm being lenient here. He's still a top 10 C IMO. Imagine him as a center on the Spurs or the Pistons.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">To be honest I don't remember the Mavs doubling often on Shaq. I remember them trying to get the ball out of Wade's hands, but he kept splitting the defense. Wade was also hitting his jumpshots, which made him impossible to defend. I'm sure the Mavs had a few defensive sequences when they double teamed Shaq, but Erick Dampier has always been able to defend Shaq one on one. Maybe Dirk and Howard collapsed down low on Shaq, but I don't remember any aggressive double teams by Dallas in the series.</div> I totally agree with Dampier and how he is a Shaq stopper, well, "Shaq-slow-er-downer" since nobody can really stop Shaq even as he's getting older. But the thing I liked about Alonzo Mourning is that he's a great all-around defensive player who is not afraid of foul trouble because he's not known for his post offense (although he is a decent offensive player when given touches). I remember Alonzo Mourning was getting 3-4 blocks a night, plus decent boards, during some weeks in addition to do things that don't show up on the stat sheet. That big man depth really helped defeat Dallas' big man depth of three different centers who can all more or less rebound the ball and block shots without fouling out. As for Wade, he played like a true shooting guard that is franchise level. He is like the new Kobe of sorts hitting running floaters, hitting shots off the dribble left and right, using glass if he has to, or finishing difficult plays against bigger players, even a few times using his opposite hand. The guy was a veteran in his rookie year when Miami had no chance of making the playoffs according to some experts. First year with Miami, Dwade saved Pat Riley and made Stan Van Gundy look totally awesome. Miami was losing about the same rate as Orlando Magic, but they suddenly went on a huge winstreak thanks primarily to Dwade. I can't remember what the roster was, but it had Rafer Alston(?), Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Eddie Jones. That isn't that bad considering the other four have seen the playoffs a few times. Eddie Jones was a former all-star. Brian Grant was a double double player when healthy. Alston is a nice ballhandler and distributor with an improved jumpshot. Lamar Odom is a nice glue guy who can score and block shots. But that losing streak was pretty bad considering guys were getting injured and the possible fact Miami might not have had that deep of a bench in some opinions. BTW sorry if I am hard to understand. Just got back from Friday night on the "first day" of Halloween "weekend"! wohooo!
Nope Wade just needs reliable big men like any other guard, just like big men need reliable guards to get them involved in the offense. Most big men cannot create their own shot and they also need consistent shooters to spread the floor so defenders don't always collapse on the inside. They need good defenders so the team can make stops and get the ball out to the fast guards for a break. Shaq could definitely create offense for other guys with the ball, but not if guys are hacking him so he has to shoot two, triple teaming him to grab the ball right away, or if he's injured half the time so they don't play him many minutes like he used to. Plus, guards have to recognize when the big man has good position and to get the ball in right away or else it's a 3 second violation. They also have to feed the post the right away so the big man doesn't have to come away from the post.
