After Shaq landed, he deliberately shoved Stoudemire, then shouted: "The worst defender in history, a softie!"
Roger stepped between them, pushed Shaq aside with one hand, and shielded Stoudemire behind him: "What kind of skill is it to punch a rookie? If you've got guts, come at me."
O'Neal still didn't respond to Roger; he simply pointed at Stoudemire, repeatedly mouthing the word "soft."
Amar'e Stoudemire, this high school rookie who had been active all season, was crushed at this moment by Shaq.
Throughout the whole game, he didn't contribute anything to victory.
He couldn't defend against Shaq, and because Shaq was defending deep in the basket, his drives were useless.
Mid-range? His touch was as awful as dog crap; today Stoudemire's free throw percentage was even just 60%.
On both ends, his presence was as thin as air on a plateau.
Stoudemire hung his head, seemingly reverting back to last year when he was a high schooler with no confidence in front of Roger.
