<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI - A slight misperception seems to have taken hold on the eve of the Eastern Conference finals. Many remember how the Pistons defeated Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA championship last year, and many therefore assume Detroit was successful in stopping Shaq. That really wasn't the case. O'Neal averaged 26.6 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field in the Lakers' 4-1 loss to Detroit, a series in which Pistons coach Larry Brown bucked conventional wisdom and used single coverage against O'Neal.</div>Source
Last year, the Pistons were successful in focusing on Kobe and the rest of the Lakers, and luckily, Kobe got selfish and Shaq, despite his great form, didn't get the ball a lot. This year, it might not take selfishness from teammates to stop Shaq. If O'Neal is not 100% healthy, the Pistons might just force him away from being an offensive presence, and placing more pressure on Wade's shoulders.
No team can stop Shaq'. The Pistons stopped Kobe last year by playing great defense and since Kobe had to be the hero he didn't move the ball when he was double teammed. The Pistons were very succesful in beating the Lakers, but they didn't stop Shaq'. This year is different though. Shaq' has unselfish perimeter players that are willing to get him the ball.
