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Sometimes, all it takes is one game to correctly assess a team’s chances of a championship.
Opening night of the 2006-2007 NBA season was one of those night’s. The Miami Heat received their 2005-2006 NBA championship rings before being obliterated by the Chicago Bulls 108-66. After that game, I knew it was over for Dwyane Wade & Shaquille O’Neal in South Beach. I told everyone I talked hoops with that the Heat were finished.
The overwhelming responses; “It was only one game” and “they’ve got Shaq AND Wade!”
But there are some games that should bring out the best in both teams and when that happens you get a glimpse into what those teams are made of.
Last night was one of those games.
Down 2-1 in their season series with Los Angeles and playing at home in Shaq’s first game with the Suns, Phoenix had every conceivable motivation to win.
And they lost.
The good news: Shaq was 6-9 from the floor (on 27 touches) for 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Both numbers above his season averages of 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. Despite not playing in over a month and still working himself back into playing shape, Shaq managed to play 29 minutes, a half a minute over his season average of 28.5.
The immensely talented Amare Stoudemire benefited from O’Neal’s presence. He had a monster night with 37 points and 15 rebounds. He and Shaq also combined for 5 blocked shots.
The bad news: Shaq picked up where he left on in regards to fouls and free throws. O’Neal fouled out of 5 consecutive games earlier this season and is averaging 4 fouls a game. Last night, he had 5.
Many of his fouls are due to his slow feet. No matter what type of physical condition he’s in, he’s always a step slow when rotating laterally. He was also 3-8 from the free throw line.
Different team, same story. Foul trouble will keep him out of games and his poor free throw shooting will have him seated on the bench during crunch time.
I know it was Shaq’s first game and Phoenix’s offense seemed out of sorts on numerous possessions.
Their offense has never been the problem though. The Suns put up 124 points last night. Unfortunately, they gave up 130.
The Suns have always been a mediocre defensive team and Shaq makes them worse.
Following the trade that brought Shaq to Phoenix, I listened to countless NBA “experts” reason that Shaq’s presence in the paint would improve Phoenix’s “team defense” and each time I thought to myself, have these guys seen Shaq play the past 8 seasons?
In my blog analyzing the Shaq for Marion/Banks trade, I listed Shaq’s inability to defend the pick-and-roll as a reason the trade was a bad move for Phoenix. As early as 2000, Shaq was terrible at defending the pick-and-roll. Eight years later, he’s even worse.
So what did the Lakers do? Nearly every offensive possession when Shaq was in the ball game resulted in a high pick-and-roll with Shaq’s man (Gasol) setting a pick for Kobe Bryant or Derek Fisher. Each time, the ball handler or the man setting the pick (Gasol) was wide open for a jumpshot or a rolling cut into the paint.
Kobe Bryant was 16-25 for 41 points. Pau Gasol was 13-19 for 29 points. Both players shot above 60%. The Lakers, as a team, shot 57 percent. Many of their shots resulted from the Suns defense having to overcompensate for the defensive liability that is Shaqille O’Neal.
And it’s not going to get any better.
Every powerhouse team in the West has a dynamite guard who will exploit Shaq’s inability to defend the pick-and-roll. Tony Parker, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, & Allen Iverson will have field days against the Phoenix Suns.
So this is what it boils down to — will Shaq’s leadership skills and offensive impact be enough to compensate for his defensive shortcomings?
One game was all I needed to see.
