Have a Seat, Shaq
I love basketball. I grew up during the glory days of the NBA. I watched Bird and Magic and Jordan become larger than life. Miami Heat all-world center Shaquille O'Neal wants to be included in the list of NBA greats. Hold on, big fella. All of the greats have had one thing in common. They could ALL be counted on during the last two minutes of a game. The last two minutes are usually the most crucial. The game is on the line, and if you need a score, you give it to your superstar. Shaq is not dependable in those circumstances.
Shaquille O'Neal is a lot of things. Great free throw shooter is not one of them. Modest isn't one of them either. He claims to be the 'most dominant ever' or MDE for short. True. But, basketball games are 48 minutes long. Shaq is dominant for 46 of those and then sinks into the shadows because of his horrid free throw shooting. It's painful to watch. And puzzling. Shaq has been in the league for 14 seasons, and has not mastered the art of the free throw. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Big Aristotle went 1-for-9 from the stripe. I don't get it. You're the self-proclaimed leader of your team. Why are you sitting next to Pat Riley at the end of a game? Foul trouble? Nope. Injured? Not a chance. Shaq can't shoot free throws to save his life.
What we have here is a quandary. Shaq has put up the numbers and the highlight reel and the soundbytes to ensure that he will go into the annals of NBA lore as one of the best to ever suit up. That's where I get off of the tram. I can't put him into the class of the all-time greats because you HAVE to be dependable down the stretch. Robert Horry has a better track record than Shaq. I'm sure if you asked Pat Riley right now who he'd rather have at the line with no time left on the clock, one down, two free throws, Game 7 of the Finals, his answer would not be Shaquille O'Neal. Cut to Riley being left with one choice and looking past Shaq and asking if one of the ball boys is available.
Shaquille O'Neal is a lot of things. Great free throw shooter is not one of them. Modest isn't one of them either. He claims to be the 'most dominant ever' or MDE for short. True. But, basketball games are 48 minutes long. Shaq is dominant for 46 of those and then sinks into the shadows because of his horrid free throw shooting. It's painful to watch. And puzzling. Shaq has been in the league for 14 seasons, and has not mastered the art of the free throw. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Big Aristotle went 1-for-9 from the stripe. I don't get it. You're the self-proclaimed leader of your team. Why are you sitting next to Pat Riley at the end of a game? Foul trouble? Nope. Injured? Not a chance. Shaq can't shoot free throws to save his life.
What we have here is a quandary. Shaq has put up the numbers and the highlight reel and the soundbytes to ensure that he will go into the annals of NBA lore as one of the best to ever suit up. That's where I get off of the tram. I can't put him into the class of the all-time greats because you HAVE to be dependable down the stretch. Robert Horry has a better track record than Shaq. I'm sure if you asked Pat Riley right now who he'd rather have at the line with no time left on the clock, one down, two free throws, Game 7 of the Finals, his answer would not be Shaquille O'Neal. Cut to Riley being left with one choice and looking past Shaq and asking if one of the ball boys is available.
posted by scottydigital at 2:11 PM
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