NBA Notes - SHAQ Is BACK - June 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Thursday June 8, 2006

The Terminator movie with Arnold will have to wait the Shaq-Man is now on the job to win another NBA title. Heat coach Pat Riley is looking for his 6th title. WHAT's that you say???!!! You can only count four during his career? READ ON...

THE SHAQ ATTACK IS BACK

It's a bird, it's a plane NO!!!... IT's … Superman as Shaquille O'Neal likes to refer to himself.

You can call him what you want but for me.... I prefer to call him the SHAQ-MAN. (Well it's only fitting to have Miami Heat colors is it not?)

Yes folks the Shaq-Man is back to impose his SHAQ ATTACK in the NBA finals while former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant is somewhere probably contemplating WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???... as he listens to the fat lady sing to him IT'S OVER

The Shaq-Man is currently doing the business and trying to lead his Miami Heat to their first ever NBA title and his fourth.

Usually this time of the year the Shaq-Man (sing it now to the Bat-Man melody) would be focusing on his entertainment career but he has been doing his due diligence to do the job that he's paid to well to do… PLAY BASKETBALL and win NBA titles.

In the mid nineties Shaq expressed to me that he wanted to be in movies most notably to go up against Arnold Schwarzennegger in a Terminator film. Well that was then and this is now.

That never came to pass and at present Arnold is busy doing another job as governor of the US state of California.

Shaq did become the quintessential entertainer by staring in films and recording rap songs.

But now it's time to get down to the REAL and not reel BEE-YUZ-NESS (business).

With Pat Riley at the helm and going for his 6th NBA title having won four as coach of the Showtime Lakers of the 80's and one as a player on the Lakers 1972 title winning squad things could get serious and a Heat title could be had.

Shaq had his success partnered with Kobe Bryant in their three-peat titles in 2000, 2001 & 2002. He was also selected the finals MVP in 2000 & 2001.

Their advantage is that with Riles and Shaq they have won eight NBA titles between them to the Mavericks one, that being their coach Avery Johnson having been a member of the 1999 NBA title winning San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat also has three savvy veterans that are rising to the occasion of wining their first ever NBA championship team.

That includes 16-year NBA veteran Gary Payton who will be 38-yars-old July 23rd. This is his second time in the finals having been there with the Seattle Supersonics in 1996 before losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 4-2 in the seven game final series.

Shaq helped convince Payton to try it with him with the Lakers in 2004 only to lose to the Detroit Pistons 4-1. Also with Shaq's persuasion Payton is trying it again with the gentle giant at Miami.

Payton can see the light at the end of the tunnel as his career is near a close. This could be his last chance for that NBA title ring.

Alonzo Mourning is a 14-year NBA veteran that was the Heats center for eight seasons before suffering a kidney ailment that required for it to be replaced.

The 36-year-old 6-10/261lb (2.08/118.4) shocked the world when after the surgery he returned to the league after taking the 2002/03 season of to heal.

He signed a free agent contract with the New Jersey Nets July 16, 2003. After being traded to the Toronto Raptors for Vince Carter December 14, 2004 he was waived and then signed a free agent contract to return to the Heat March 1, 2005.

Once Shaq's opponent he is working on obtaining his first ever NBA title. He has been productive for the Heat spelling O'Neal when he needs rest.

Together they reached the finals last season only to lose to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. Without Shaq he helped the Heat reach the 1997 Eastern Conference finals before losing 4-1 in the best of seven game series to the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls.

Antoine Walker has toiled I the league for 10 seasons. August 12th he will be 35-years-old. Having been a member of the NCAA title winning Kentucky University he knows how to win in pressure situations.

Jason Williams also known as WHITE CHOCOLATE will be putting it on the line for his first title in his eight years in the league. He will be 31 November 18th. It is well known that in sports age 30 is the magic number factored in the decline of any professional athlete.

As O'Neal notes after the pounding his 34-year-old body has taken during his 14-year NBA career, "I'm old."

When you've been there and done that one holds the advantage in the most pressured situation in any NBA season THE FINALS.

Dallas is also a NEVER WAS as in NBA champion. They have zero players that have been on a NBA title winning team but the feisty game smart Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki might have something to say about that.

AVERY JOHNSON NBA Coach of The Year

Avery Johnson has always been a spirited man. He was named NBA coach of the year and has led the Dallas Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance.

This is Johnson's first full season as a head coach. Last season he coached the team for only 18 games after he replaced Don Nelson March 19, 2005.

Johnson has always been a fighter while he also maintained being a very nice polite man.

He wasn't drafted by an NBA franchise and played In the USBL (United States Basketball League) with the Palm Beach Stingrays in 1988 prior to his first NBA season with the Seattle Supersonics in 1989 when signed as a free agent.

Johnson played 16 seasons in the NBA until retiring after his 2004 season with the Golden State Warriors at the age of 39.

He was a member of the 1999 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. He also played for the Golden State Warriors, Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.

The 5-11/180 (1,80/81.6) former guard played his college career at Southern University where he set the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) career record for assists average per game with 12.0, for a single season 13.3 in 1988 and his 22 assists in a game is also a record.

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