Since entering the playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal seemed to have rediscovered his dominance in the paint. In the first round of the playoffs, he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, with an overall field goal percentage of 60%. In fact, if not for his free throw percentage of only 40% and an average of only 14 attempts per game in that series, his efficiency would have been almost as good as during his Lakers days.
Even though O'Neal felt that Pat Riley, that annoying "farmer," was constantly nagging and criticizing him, his "injury" that limited him to just 59 regular season games certainly gave him more rest. The only downside was, wouldn't it be great if Riley didn't make him lose weight, force him onto the treadmill, and stop him from eating sweets?
O'Neal's wonderful playoff journey continued. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds for the Heat. Aside from his less-than-ideal free throw percentage (38.6%), his overall efficiency was still impressive, making him the Heat's second-leading scorer in the semifinals, only behind Wade.
O'Neal really liked Dwyane Wade. Especially when comparing him to Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. Wade not only had more in common with him, but this star guard, who had officially entered his prime this season, was also much more considerate than Hardaway and Bryant. Although Wade was now the undisputed leader of the Heat, he still referred to O'Neal as "big brother" in public, which O'Neal, being in the twilight of his career, greatly appreciated. On the court, Wade would also often deliver "easy passes" that O'Neal had long forgotten, even if Kobe had once thrown them. These "easy passes" greatly improved O'Neal's efficiency on the court and made him less reluctant to set high screens for Wade. In O'Neal's view, Wade never, after O'Neal painstakingly set a screen for him, would just pull up and shoot like that "stinky snake" (Kobe). As of the three playoff rounds the Heat had played, Wade's highest average attempts per round was only 19. Despite being the Heat's primary offensive option, Wade could have taken as many shots as he wanted on the court, but "Flash" was more of a team player than that "stinky snake," never disregarding his teammates.
"'D-Wade' is truly the most outstanding guard I've ever played with," O'Neal had stated to the media more than once, expressing his admiration for Wade.
So, with this affection for Wade, in this year's Eastern Conference Finals, O'Neal and Wade teamed up to crush the Pistons. They crushed the same Pistons team that had prevented the Lakers from winning the championship in the 2003-2004 season, indirectly leading to the "OK" duo's split.
Compared to the 2004 Finals, where O'Neal saw Kobe as the culprit behind the Lakers' loss, Wade dominated in this year's Eastern Conference Finals, scoring at will against the Pistons' vaunted defense with an overall field goal percentage exceeding 60%. And O'Neal? He also delivered an excellent performance, averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds with a field goal percentage as high as 65% (his free throw percentage remained consistent at 41.7%), repaying the Heat and Wade's trust in him.
Undoubtedly, this year's Eastern Conference Finals was absolutely O'Neal's most delightful moment in recent years.
"Playing with 'D-Wade,' you even have to force him to shoot. One time, I saw he had a hot hand, so I asked him, 'Hey, man, why don't you shoot a few more times?' Do you know what 'D-Wade' told me then? He said, 'No, Shaq, I'm already playing perfectly, and I want my teammates to share my joy.' That's 'D-Wade.' I won't say he's the best shooting guard in the league right now, but that's definitely the truth."
After teaming up with Wade to advance to the Finals, the entire basketball world fully felt how happy Shaquille O'Neal was playing for the Miami Heat.
The atmosphere within this Heat team was excellent. They had gathered a group of like-minded veterans, all yearning to fulfill their dreams with a championship ring. Not only did they surround Wade and O'Neal with championship pieces like Antoine Walker, James Posey, and "White Chocolate" Jason Williams, who provided floor spacing. But also in the paint, the always diligent Udonis Haslem and Alonzo Mourning greatly reduced O'Neal's workload on defense.
However, after watching the Heat's Eastern Conference Semifinals footage this year, Zack and the Warriors had never felt less like they were about to become NBA champions. Was this Heat team, the 2006 NBA champions in history, a perfect team? Of course not. If they were truly perfect, they wouldn't have needed Wade's average of 16.2 free throws per game in those Finals, earned through countless drives and "phantom fouls," to defeat the Dallas Mavericks.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Nets, the Heat had already exposed their weaknesses to the world. As O'Neal's worst series since the playoffs began this year, it's worth noting that this Eastern Conference Semifinals was also the series where O'Neal had the fewest average minutes played.
As for the reason?
"They can't even handle Nenad Krstic?" In the film room, while rewatching footage with his teammates, "Scholar" Kwame Brown was stunned.
Nenad Krstic. A stretch big man whose career long-two-point attempts accounted for over a third of his shots, pulling defenders away from the basket. Since Krstic had a long-two-point shooting percentage exceeding 40% this season, he became O'Neal's nightmare in the games against the Nets. Moreover, influenced by the era, Krstic wasn't a stretch big man with three-point range.
In the video footage, looking at O'Neal's slow and lumbering defensive footwork, almost in an instant, all the Warriors players turned their gaze to Artest and Murphy. It's well-known that the Heat's starting power forward, whether Haslem or Walker, wasn't tall enough. Therefore, in everyone's opinion, the Warriors could definitely use Artest and Murphy to partner with Zack in the paint. And if they did... who would O'Neal rely on for help defense and rotations then?
"We don't need to target him that much. In a game, even if I'm paired with Kwame, I have a thousand ways to draw him out of the paint," Zack suddenly interjected in the film room.
Hearing this, Coach Don Nelson chuckled, "Indeed, focusing too much on Shaq will only give their true offensive core more opportunities in the game."
After their regular season matchups, Zack knew very well that compared to O'Neal, Wade was the player the Warriors needed to focus on. How to describe Wade at this period? In short, no matter who you put on him, it's hard to stop him from scoring tough baskets for the Heat on the court. Exceptional dribbling skills, astonishing ball-handling coordination, plus his elite burst in the current NBA... These advantages dictate that as long as Wade, in his prime, decides to drive past you, you can only wait for him to run out of energy.
Is this description exaggerated? No, not at all. Because not everyone can lead a team to a championship with their starting center scoring only 5 points in a Finals game.
Additionally, since entering the playoffs, Wade also had a long-two-point shooting percentage of around 45%. This made him even harder to guard when driving. Therefore, compared to O'Neal, Zack needed Brown to form a twin towers lineup with him to limit Wade's drives and increase Wade's energy consumption when driving. That's right, since Wade's tough scoring style meant his shot attempts per game were limited, the Warriors just needed to keep his average attempts within an acceptable range, and the Heat's offensive capability would be greatly weakened. Historically, even counting attempts negated by free throws, Wade's average attempts against the Mavericks were around 31 per game. Although this statistic was still astonishing, considering the Mavericks' interior defense was weak in terms of scrambling ability at the time, Zack had every reason to believe that he and Brown could do better together.
The only problem now was... who among the Warriors would take the beating from Wade?
In the film room, looking at the silent Richardson and the suddenly taciturn Davis, Artest slowly stood up and declared righteously, "I wonder if I can handle it."
At that moment, if you were to give Artest a cigar, he would look exactly like the Third Brother in Shaolin Soccer, stepping up in a moment of crisis.
"Jason (Richardson) is our best shooter, he can't be worn out too much on defense."
"As for Baron (Davis), he couldn't even guard Tony Parker; I wouldn't dare let him guard 'D-Wade.'"
After Artest voluntarily took on the daunting task of guarding Wade, the Warriors quickly finalized their battle plan for the Finals. Furthermore, before the Finals arrived, the Warriors specifically practiced the Flex offense, with Zack as the core, and also prepared a 2-3 zone defense as a fallback.
June 10, 2006. Oakland, Oracle Arena.
The Warriors players, enjoying home-court advantage for the first time in their playoff journey this year, once again felt the fervent passion of the Bay Area fans during the pre-game warm-up. In the stands, the crowd chanted "We believe" in unison. In this life, Zack's earlier grand declaration of winning the championship had given a new meaning to this slogan, which historically became famous after the "We Believe" Warriors achieved their upset victory. On this night, returning to the Finals stage after thirty-one years, all Bay Area fans firmly believed that their Messiah would lead these Warriors all the way to the summit! If miracles truly had a color, it would surely be the Warriors' gold!
As the Heat players arrived at the arena, the Golden Wave on display had already begun to surge. Rick Barry, who led the Warriors to a championship thirty-one years ago, would serve as the live commentator tonight. Although historically, Barry's complex relationship with the Warriors couldn't be explained in a few words, as a Warriors legend, Barry still publicly supported Zack before the game, saying, "The Messiah is already the NBA's most important face. He's better than anyone." In Zack's previous life, about seventeen years later, Barry would give Stephen Curry the same praise. Since the Warriors were ultimately Barry's "roots," he was destined to only have praise for this outstanding junior, Zack.
Of course, Barry was not so polite to the shameless Chris Mullin. Before the game, Barry's tone shifted, saying, "Why is Chris Mullin doing the jump ball ceremony tonight? Did he ever lead the Warriors to the Finals?"
The Finals? Mullin indeed made it. But it was when he played for the Indiana Pacers. As for why Mullin insisted on personally performing the jump ball ceremony for the Warriors tonight? That's because, as the general manager of this Warriors team, and the Messiah's head butler, he wanted to personally touch the Finals court! Since the Warriors making it to the Finals this year was a complete surprise, and with all the Finals preparations handled by him, how could Mullin possibly hand over such an important segment as the pre-game jump ball ceremony to someone else?
At center court, the moment Mullin walked to the center circle with the ball, his heart was incredibly excited. Thirty-one years. The Warriors had finally rewritten history with a "D-Day" operation!
Although it was just a symbolic jump ball, after the jump ball, Zack, suddenly inspired, ignited the entire arena in the next second. After tapping the ball down, he directly flung the basketball single-handedly from near half-court to the opposite half-court.
Slam, Swish!
Immediately after, as the ball hit the backboard and dropped through the net, Barry, in the commentary booth, burst into laughter: "Looks like luck is on our side tonight! We've got this!"
Golden State Warriors, wearing jersey number 30, hit a half-court three-pointer before the game started. Is this reasonable? It's very reasonable.
On the court, it wasn't until all the Warriors' pre-game activities had concluded that the famous Joseph "Joey" Crawford slowly walked to center court with the ball. As a highly respected referee by both Warriors and Heat fans, having Joey Crawford officiate Game 1 of the Finals was beyond reproach for both Pat Riley and Don Nelson. Although Joey Crawford had made many controversial calls throughout his officiating career, there was one thing: he was fair. That is, in the games he officiated for both the Warriors and the Heat this season, both Wade and Zack received a lot of superstar calls.
Furthermore, it must be stated. Zack was indeed the only interior player in this year's playoffs with an average of fewer free throw attempts than Tim Duncan. But Pat Riley apparently forgot that the number of free throws Wade got in the playoffs was the highest among all guards. In short, with Joey Crawford officiating Game 1 of the Finals, neither team's fans needed to worry that the referees would shortchange their star player.
Before the game started, Zack even jokingly shouted at O'Neal, "Hey, Shaq, your 'foot injury' shouldn't affect your performance in the Finals, right?"
Hearing this, O'Neal snorted coldly and remained silent. Since entering the playoffs, O'Neal believed he had regained his form and his dominance in the low post. So, he prepared to respond to this incessantly talking brat with his on-court performance.
"Damn it, is this kid ever going to stop? Why is he as resentful as that jerk Kobe?" At that moment, O'Neal thought to himself.
On the big screen, as both teams' starters took their positions, the starting lineups for Game 1 of the Heat-Warriors Finals were immediately displayed.
Heat: O'Neal, Walker, Posey, Wade, Williams.
Warriors: Brown, Zack, Artest, Richardson, Davis.
In the jump ball, Brown disappointingly lost to the aging O'Neal. Williams dribbled past half-court but didn't immediately look for Wade, instead signaling his teammates to slow down the pace. Unlike the "White Chocolate" known for his flashy style and passes that kept nine other players on edge in his early career, Jason Williams's game had done a 180-degree turn since "reforming." In the Heat's playoff run this year, his assist-to-turnover ratio was nearly 4-to-1, and his shots were primarily open threes.
In this offensive possession, Williams only passed the ball to Wade after Walker and Posey moved off-ball to draw away the Warriors' right-side defenders. With the ball, Wade immediately blew past Artest in one step. Since Joey Crawford was the head referee tonight, even Artest didn't dare to be reckless against "Flash." Wade opened the scoring with a two-point jump shot. 2-0.
For this Warriors' score allowed, Zack directly kicked Brown. "What were you doing yesterday? You just watched Ron get blown by like that?" At that moment, Kwame Brown looked wronged. Because just now, if he hadn't been worried that Zack couldn't handle O'Neal in the low post, how could he not go help Artest?
"Don't worry about that so-called 'best center,' if he even scores in double digits tonight, I'll immediately retire and become an adult film star!" Zack said, seeing through Brown's little thoughts.
Next, it was the Warriors' offensive possession. With double screens from Artest and Brown near the low post, Zack successfully initiated the Flex offense with Davis. You see, to deal with O'Neal, the Warriors didn't even need to use their five-shooter lineup. Although tonight, when the Warriors put Brown and Zack together, O'Neal wasn't directly guarding Zack, and the Heat would use a zone defense to protect him. But given O'Neal's foot speed at this stage... could he keep up with the Warriors' fast-paced movement?
At the top of the arc, after receiving the pass from Davis, Zack even casually adjusted his hair. Then, a vertical leap, perfect balance, and an elegant shot. Zack, wearing the Warriors' number 30 jersey, thus scored the Warriors' first Finals points in thirty-one years. It was a three-point jump shot that thrilled the home crowd!
On the sideline, Riley, who had already anticipated this scene, roared at O'Neal, "This is the damn Finals! Can you move your ass?!"
Actually... O'Neal actually did move just now. But it was "soft" and useless.
Back on offense, it was the Heat's turn. O'Neal successfully established deep post position. This was a perfect opportunity for him to get revenge on Zack. But the moment he received the ball, Zack immediately gave him two elbows. Seeing this, O'Neal stared dumbfounded at Joey Crawford, who was standing right in front of him.
"No way... this kind of defense isn't a foul?" he thought. "He's a superstar, am I not a goddamn superstar?!"
"My apologies, if O'Neal were still wearing a Lakers jersey, Crawford would absolutely blow the whistle for him. But you, a Lakers traitor, now just a nominal center, do you really think you can compare to the Messiah in terms of status?"
Clang!
In the low post, O'Neal, unable to get a whistle, forced an offensive move. But Zack, while firmly holding him with one hand, used his other hand to reach around and successfully strip the ball from him. In this defensive play, Zack's previous two elbows were just probing Crawford's tolerance for physicality against O'Neal. Since Zack had fully felt Crawford's "love" for him, he naturally intended to personally rip off O'Neal's facade of being an unstoppable force.
In the Warriors' paint, O'Neal, after being stripped of the ball by Zack and falling directly to the floor, perfectly illustrated what it meant for an aging star to be less valued than a dog. On cue, amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the Warriors fans, Zack dribbled down the court, found Brown trailing in the middle, and assisted him on a powerful two-handed dunk that made the rim tremble. Brown, who deliberately pulled on the rim after the dunk, seemed even more like O'Neal than O'Neal himself.
As for O'Neal? Furious, he argued with Crawford and successfully earned a technical foul, sending Zack to the free-throw line. Seeing this, Zack even interceded for O'Neal, saying, "Hey, Joey, please don't foul him out! I'm still looking forward to a fair fight with him!"
"Truly a gentleman of integrity, never taking advantage of opponents, just like Grant Hill," Crawford thought to himself.
However, O'Neal didn't appreciate Zack's kindness at all. Even as Zack stepped to the free-throw line, he was still complaining to Zack: "Your steal just now was definitely a foul! You damn bastard who only relies on superstar calls!"
Hearing this, Zack didn't get angry. Instead, he calmly replied, "Without superstar calls, where would you get the chance to show fans your ugly free throws?" After a pause, Zack added, "Watch closely, Grandpa here can even make this free throw with my eyes closed."
The next second, Zack deliberately closed his eyes, calmly held the ball, and, in front of all the fans in the arena and watching on television, made the free throw with his eyes closed!
"Remember to call me Grandpa next time you see me, my good grandson!" Zack reminded O'Neal affectionately as he retreated on defense.
At the same time, Riley, noticing O'Neal's mindset starting to waver again, roared at him from the sideline, "Can you stop bickering with that kid?! You're no match for him!"
"You're no match for him." This statement stung. But Riley spoke the cruel, undeniable truth. The old O'Neal was indeed a formidable Superman. But now, where did he still deserve that crown? If the king was already old, he shouldn't continue to rest on past laurels and repeatedly insist he was still king. Tonight, without a "smart foot injury," no one could save Shaquille O'Neal!
On the Heat's offensive possession, O'Neal actively moved to the high post to set a screen for Wade, successfully drawing Zack and Artest into a double team on Wade. At this moment, was Zack not worried about O'Neal rolling to the basket? Worry my ass! On the court, the moment Wade passed the ball, Brown immediately fronted O'Neal, buying Zack time to recover on defense. Historically, even the likes of Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood could limit O'Neal to a shocking 5 points in a Finals game. Therefore, with Brown assisting him, why would Zack need to worry about O'Neal's pick-and-roll dives?
Slap!
In the paint, O'Neal, unable to get into his optimal attack zone immediately, had to shoot early, and in the next instant, he was coldly denied by Zack! Furthermore, after the block, to avoid stepping on O'Neal, who had fallen to the court, Zack thoughtfully stepped directly over his head.
The Warriors' fans in the arena were in absolute frenzy! Because following the slaying of Dirk Nowitzki, the capture of Tim Duncan, and the domination of Steve Nash, another renowned superstar had now been felled by their Messiah!
In the Warriors' paint, after getting up, O'Neal, unable to bear it any longer, immediately charged towards Zack. But Zack was not like the retreating Kevin Garnett. At that moment, facing O'Neal, Zack used all his strength and simply flipped him onto the floor! O'Neal, who simply couldn't fight, was no match for Zack, a wrestling expert who felt uncomfortable if he didn't grapple with Artest and Brown a few times every day in practice.
Fortunately, Crawford and the other two referees quickly separated the two teams' players who had rushed towards Zack and O'Neal. On the court, after reminding Zack to control his temper, and since O'Neal had already received a technical foul, Crawford, in the fairest possible manner, did not penalize Zack and O'Neal for their recent confrontation. This was indeed a very fair "both sides get a slap on the wrist." After all, it was true that Zack had tripped O'Neal. But O'Neal had also deliberately charged at Zack to provoke him, which, according to the rules, also warranted a technical foul.
Of course, perhaps at this moment, O'Neal wanted Crawford to give him another technical foul. Because he couldn't win an argument, and he couldn't win a fight... Do you know how wronged, how upset, how much O'Neal wanted to dig a hole and bury himself right then?
On the Heat's bench, Pat Riley, always full of energy, turned to his protégé Erik Spoelstra and asked with a hint of despair in his voice, "If Shaq can't be our second scoring option in these Finals, how do you think we should adjust?"
Hearing this, Spoelstra replied with a wry smile, "Then we can only pray that 'D-Wade' can score 40 points per game for us, like Michael Jordan did back in the day."
Actually, even before turning to his protégé, Riley had already made a decision in his heart. So, grabbing Wade's hand as he was about to rejoin his teammates, Riley said with the deepest affection, "We have to rely on you. Only you can change the tide for us."
"We have to rely on you, only you." No wonder Wade, in Zack's memory, was so "groomed" by Riley that he willingly worked tirelessly for him. With that kind of rhetoric... that kind of affection, and that kind of absolute trust from a head coach, in the NBA, besides that shrewd businessman, how many hot-blooded young men could resist?
At that moment, Wade was completely "bewitched." Looking directly at Pat Riley, Wade, in the next second, put everything on the line, declaring, "I will not let you or the team down!"
Oracle Arena, the game continued. With little time left on the shot clock, Wade unhesitatingly took the initiative, driving into the Warriors' paint and bravely making a tough reverse layup. Seeing Brown and Artest, who failed to stop Wade, Zack sighed deeply but chose not to blame his teammates. Because in the NBA, plays like the one Wade just made are usually called "miracle shots."
However, even the most aggressive "Zhao Yun" (referring to Wade, a famous general from Romance of the Three Kingdoms) eventually gets exhausted by "A Dou" (referring to Shaq, who might be a burden).
On the court, during a Warriors offensive possession, after pick-and-rolls with both Brown and Artest, Zack successfully got Antoine Walker to switch onto him. As the "Black Larry Bird," Walker's mobility had significantly declined. The floor spacing he provided for the Heat was the reason Riley started him tonight.
On the right side of the high post, Zack first used a single-hand triple threat to probe his defender. Then, as the defender shifted his feet, Zack decisively put the ball down and drove into the Heat's paint. It must be said that fate still favored O'Neal. Because the moment Zack charged into the heart of the Heat's defense, O'Neal was standing in the perfect help-side position. Without a doubt, O'Neal had another excellent opportunity for revenge! He instantly made up his mind that even if it meant fouling, he would make this damn brat feel the power of Superman!
In the Heat's restricted area, O'Neal firmly held his ground, just waiting for Zack to leap. However, as O'Neal actively moved to meet Zack, Alonzo Mourning on the Heat's bench instantly recalled a scene he had considered a lifelong disgrace, so much so that he hadn't spoken a single word to Vince Carter for six years afterward.
High above, Zack, with a well-timed leap, used his left hand to fend off O'Neal and his left shoulder to push O'Neal away. Then, with his astonishing hang time and vertical leap, he created the only window for his right hand, which was tightly gripping the ball, to complete the dunk!
The next second... CRASH!
The "Big Diesel," "Superman," the "Shaqtus" Shaquille O'Neal, was mercilessly posterized by Zack! This was a forceful tomahawk dunk right over him! And... AND-ONE! The basket counted, and he got an extra free throw!
At Oracle Arena, facing this scene, how could the Warriors fans in attendance possibly stay seated? As the "MVP" chants roared through the arena, as the entire Bay Area went wild with this incredible tomahawk dunk, as fans watching on television were all stunned... At this moment, Zack had personally buried O'Neal, the so-called "league's premier center"! If this aging king didn't want to retire with dignity, then Zack would help him retire with dignity!
On the court, after completing the dunk, Zack walked straight to the free-throw line without looking back. As for O'Neal? The world couldn't know O'Neal's feelings. But the live broadcast camera immediately zoomed in on him for a close-up.
On TNT, Charles Barkley objectively and rationally commented on the dunk: "Shaquille O'Neal's era of dominating the league is long past. The Messiah just now, with a legitimate tomahawk dunk, officially declared... the NBA has officially entered his era!"
Beside him, Kenny Smith added, "Friends come and go, but only championship banners wave in the wind. The Messiah, with a powerful dunk, honorably buried Shaquille O'Neal, the former premier center of the league."
At the free-throw line, Zack made the extra free throw. And tonight, this Finals night, which O'Neal had endlessly yearned for and filled with all sorts of beautiful fantasies and desires, was clearly a bit long...
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