Bill simmons "the worst conference in history <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">5. MIAMI The big problem: The Heat are like a group of women who went out for somebody's birthday, ordered food and wine and spent the next three hours talking and eating and drinking and having a grand old time. And then the check comes and they're completely floored by the total. Wait, it's how much??? So they spend the next 25 minutes figuring out who owes what, and there are always 2-3 people who didn't bring enough cash, so somebody has to cover them (and they're pissed off about it), and then there's a girl who left early because she has a kid, and she left only $40 when it's $75 per person (so everyone's pissed off about that), and then there's the one slutty friend who got housed and wants to stick around because she thinks she might have a chance to knock boots with one of the waiters, so one of the other girls has to stay to keep an eye on her and make sure the bus boy doesn't get involved, and there's so much drama going on that everyone ends up leaving with a bad taste in their mouth and forgetting that they had a barrel of fun for the first three hours. (Translation: The Heat mortgaged the second half of the decade to win one championship. And they did. Now they're looking at the check and saying, "Wait, it's how much?") Most interesting subplot: Did you know that Shaq makes $20 million this season ... and another $60 million over the next three? Every Miami fan just threw up on their creepy all-white T-shirt. Random question No. 1: Did they have the funeral for Antoine Walker's career yet? Thirty minutes a game, 39 percent shooting, 10 points, four rebounds ... and he even got benched for Jason Kapono last weekend. The young guys from the mid-1990s draft classes have NOT been aging well. I mean, he's only 30 years old, right? There's no way anyone should be washed up at 30, right? Then you remember he played 800 combined regular-season and playoff games and logged nearly 30,000 minutes over the past 10 years. And it all makes sense. Random question No. 2: Does Pat Riley wake up every morning and think to himself, "Why the $%#& didn't I retire last summer?" I sure would. Worst-case scenario: Missing the playoffs with the exact same cast that won a championship one year earlier. That would be downright humiliating. In fact, that hasn't happened since the 1956 Syracuse Nationals did it. And yes, I just spent 20 minutes looking that up. Best-case scenario: A one-man team (Miami and Wade) takes on another one-man team (LeBron and the Cavs) in the first-ever one-on-one conference finals. Prognosis: Riley + Wade + 45 games of Shaq has to equal 42 wins. They just need to get into the playoffs and see what happens from there. Nothing else matters.</div> LOL!!! hahaha one man team vs. one man team
Shaq's contract is atrotious. Riley is a dumbass for giving him that, everyone saw last year that shaq was diminishing.
HAAAAAAAAAAATEEERRRRR!!!!!!!! Wow people can't stop bit***** about the Heat. Get over it already damn.
<div class="quote_poster">norespect Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Shaq's contract is atrotious. Riley is a dumbass for giving him that, everyone saw last year that shaq was diminishing.</div> Itt paid off, with a championship
<div class="quote_poster">Shiver Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Itt paid off, with a championship </div> why do i feel like Alonzo Mourning, Dwayne Wade, Pat Riley, Udonis Haslem, Gary Payton, James Posey, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker would have been enuff to win a title???
<div class="quote_poster">XSV Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">^Maybe because you're handicapped?</div> stupid response. especially since you're a big Wade fan. you should know he was the #1 reason they won last year
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">why do i feel like Alonzo Mourning, Dwayne Wade, Pat Riley, Udonis Haslem, Gary Payton, James Posey, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker would have been enuff to win a title???</div> You trying to say Miami would of won it all without Shaq? please tell me you're not. <div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">stupid response. especially since you're a big Wade fan. you should know he was the #1 reason they won last year</div> He was a big reason not the only reason. Wade is playing great now but everyone else looks old and done for the Heat right now. Not Wade's fault now and shouldn't be just Wade who led them to the title either.
<div class="quote_poster">AllNet Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You trying to say Miami would of won it all without Shaq? please tell me you're not. </div> i think they would have had a solid chance. IF Dallas only had to double team Wade and make the rest of the team beat them, it would have been tough, but it's not like the other players were scrubs. Who knows what Payton, Posey, Williams, etc. could have done with those balls that Shaq got? These are guys who have scored in this league. Mourning could have played an extra 10 mpg he was so enthusiastic just to be there. And Riley's veteran motivation/x and o's was a big part of it too. Not saying they would definitely have done it, but they maybe could have beaten Dallas without Shaq.
<div class="quote_poster">Shiver Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Itt paid off, with a championship </div>Come playoffs, Shaq did next to nothing, and in the Finals, it was rare to see him show up. He averaged what, 13/8 in the Finals, something like that? Damp and Diop shut him down, and if it wasn't for Wade, they'd have been swept. So, it really wasn't Shaq that got them the title, it was the fact that Wade put them team on his back and absoslutely refused to let them lose. Shaq is by no means worth his $100mil extension he got, and if he lasts for all five of those years, I'd be shocked. His body just continues to deteriorate at a faster pace then normal people because of how big he is, and if he manages to play an average of 60 or so games over the next four years, I might be surprised. He's had so many health issues that the thought of him playing a full season, maybe even 70 games, is almost laughable at this moment.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">So, it really wasn't Shaq that got them the title, it was the fact that Wade put them team on his back and absoslutely refused to let them lose. </div>good somebody else saw the same series I saw
I think its possible the Miami Heat would have beaten the Mavs, but I think it would be a 20-30% chance. The Mavs were focusing a lot on Shaq, doubling, collapsing, not having Damp (or Diop) switch off when Wade drove. I do think Wade was the biggest piece for Miami, hitting all sorts of shots, getting to the FT line, etc. But I think that Shaq out, having Mourning play 10 more minutes and Doleac covering 20 or whatever minutes would have been a big difference. With Doleac on the floor, Damp would have his way and Mavs would get paint points. As well the Mavs centers would switch on help D making it harder for Wade.
Miami would of likely got knocked out in round one without Shaq. Hell they would of been lucky to win a game Vs the Pistons without Shaq. The fact anyone can even consider thinking the Heat could of won it all without Shaq is beyond me. Miami would of likely lost in 4 or 5 Vs both the Pistons and Mavs without Shaq. It's sad how people still fail to realise the impact Shaq has on the game. It goes far beyond stats. Miami should be proud of what they did last season as I don't think they will get the chance to win it all for quite some time.
<div class="quote_poster">AllNet Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Miami would of likely got knocked out in round one without Shaq. Hell they would of been lucky to win a game Vs the Pistons without Shaq. The fact anyone can even consider thinking the Heat could of won it all without Shaq is beyond me. Miami would of likely lost in 4 or 5 Vs both the Pistons and Mavs without Shaq. It's sad how people still fail to realise the impact Shaq has on the game. It goes far beyond stats. Miami should be proud of what they did last season as I don't think they will get the chance to win it all for quite some time.</div> maybe. by the way, it's "would have" not "would of" not trying to nitpick but maybe i could save you in a job interview down the line??
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">maybe. by the way, it's "would have" not "would of" not trying to nitpick but maybe i could save you in a job interview down the line??</div> Not trying to nitpick but you don't start a sentence with a silent m or b. It's M for Maybe not maybe. Same for By, where you put by. You really are the last person who should be pointing out another poster's spelling on a message board. Save me a job interview? You are talking to a guy who is getting paid over 130,000 a year. So I'm the wrong person to use that line on. Nice try though.
<div class="quote_poster">AllNet Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Not trying to nitpick but you don't start a sentence with a silent m or b. It's M for Maybe not maybe. Same for By, where you put by. You really are the last person who should be pointing out another poster's spelling on a message board. Save me a job interview? You are talking to a guy who is getting paid over 130,000 a year. So I'm the wrong person to use that line on. Nice try though.</div> Wow someone can't take criticism. At all. Nobody cares how much money you make wonderboy, you still have bad basic grammar. A non-capitalized first letter of a sentence is not a good comparison. Nice try yourself!
I agree that Miami wouldn't have made it without Shaq. I also have to look at his contract as one of the worst in the NBA for the time being. Shaq is too old and injury prone to be a consistent 20/10 guy, and on top of it, his quickness and defense isn't going to hold up in a conference that now has to acknowledge the prowess of Dwight Howard. Don't get me wrong, if the Warriors could trade five years for one championship, I'd probably take it, just like I was okay with Barry Bonds eating up 20 million when my Giants were in the world series. It's gonna look awful rough when O'Neal is 38, though.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wow someone can't take criticism. At all. Nobody cares how much money you make wonderboy, you still have bad basic grammar. A non-capitalized first letter of a sentence is not a good comparison. Nice try yourself!</div> My grammar is just fine actually, I really could care less If It isn't prefect on an internet forum. I spell things wrong on message boards from time to time and could really care less. It's just a forum. I have enough to worry about in the real world than being concerned about how I spelt something online. You don't go and be a smart ass by mentioning a tiny little error and coming up with "It will save you in a job interview" when I have a great job and get paid alot of money. A non Capitalized first letter is just as important as any spelling you do anywhere. I just find It laughable that you of all people would point a tiny little error out when you've got a username of "phunDamentalz" just cracks me up. Most posts you made have had basic bad errors, yet you are calling someone else out on theirs? that really is a joke. As long as I can understand people's posts then I could care less about their non-prefect spelling. Spelling is never going to be prefect on an internet message board. You on the other hand obviously care If people aren't prefect. You couldn't debate my post so you have to resort to "a spelling error" quite sad really.
