bluedog
"Leader of Kings"
Is this the end of Shaquille O'Neal's dominance?
By Rob Peterson
DALLAS, June 11 -- He sat on the bench a forlorn figure, his knees close to his chest, his massive arms crossed on those knees. While a man Shaquille O'Neal's size can't help but bring his knees to his chest as he folds himself into a seat on the bench, this time he looked different.
For the first time, Shaq looked ... small.
For the first time in his playoffs and Finals history, he played even smaller.
When he left with 3:13 to go in the third quarter, Shaq had five points, six boards, one dime, two turnovers and, little did we know at the time, a seat on the bench for the rest of the game.
Never before had Shaq scored so few points in a postseason game. After all, this is Shaq, three-time Finals MVP who has scored 40-plus points in five Finals games and whose 32.6 Finals scoring average heading into this series was third best all-time behind Rick Barry (36.3) and Michael Jordan (33.6).
But, in Game 2, against a constant Mavericks' double-team, Shaq looked helpless. Forced out of his comfort zone and forced to pass to cold-shooting teammates for three quarters, the Daddy no longer resembled the man who once dominated the NBA's ultimate series.
He went 2-for-5 from the field. When he did get to the line, he went 1-for-7. His first free throw proved to be a harbinger of his evening. Wild and hard right on his first attempt to complete a three-point play, Shaq received another chance because of a Mavericks' lane violation. His second attempt ricocheted hard off the back of the rim.
By Rob Peterson
DALLAS, June 11 -- He sat on the bench a forlorn figure, his knees close to his chest, his massive arms crossed on those knees. While a man Shaquille O'Neal's size can't help but bring his knees to his chest as he folds himself into a seat on the bench, this time he looked different.
For the first time, Shaq looked ... small.
For the first time in his playoffs and Finals history, he played even smaller.
When he left with 3:13 to go in the third quarter, Shaq had five points, six boards, one dime, two turnovers and, little did we know at the time, a seat on the bench for the rest of the game.
Never before had Shaq scored so few points in a postseason game. After all, this is Shaq, three-time Finals MVP who has scored 40-plus points in five Finals games and whose 32.6 Finals scoring average heading into this series was third best all-time behind Rick Barry (36.3) and Michael Jordan (33.6).
But, in Game 2, against a constant Mavericks' double-team, Shaq looked helpless. Forced out of his comfort zone and forced to pass to cold-shooting teammates for three quarters, the Daddy no longer resembled the man who once dominated the NBA's ultimate series.
He went 2-for-5 from the field. When he did get to the line, he went 1-for-7. His first free throw proved to be a harbinger of his evening. Wild and hard right on his first attempt to complete a three-point play, Shaq received another chance because of a Mavericks' lane violation. His second attempt ricocheted hard off the back of the rim.
