NBA Miami Heat

Shaq Hating On Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade Totally Unwarranted

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Somewhere, while tanning, Dwyane Wade’s rings are glistening in the now chilly air in South Beach. His recently renewed abdomen muscles are collecting beads of sweat along the ridges, and if he never played another game, he would absolutely be one of the NBA’s greatest shooting guards of all time.

On television, Shaquille O’Neal, the person who has the least amount of objectivity about the situation, stated that he would prefer to put Penny Hardaway before Wade in the esteemed “50 Greatest Players of All Time List.” Which, to respond, Chris Webber then chortled that he won his rings on the backs of O’Neal and LeBron James. This caused a tremor on my lower back, because obviously Webber failed to watch that 2006 series. And as far as the previous two championships, last I checked LeBron had to team up on the Miami Heat to win a title, not Wade to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anyone who saw that series knows that Wade did not ride Shaq’s back in the Finals; it was the exact opposite. Wade won Finals MVP for the series and averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. In Game 6 of that series, Wade led the Miami with 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Meanwhile, Shaq had nine points and 12 boards. While I would never say that Shaq didn’t have a part in their team that won, it is preposterous to believe that Wade was simply “riding the wave,” as Shaq took Miami by hand to the promised land.

For some reason, Wade’s name and reputation in the league needs to be defended as he takes the back-burner to a host of other players like Gary Payton. Again, Payton is good, but guess who also rode the Wade train to his first championship? Yes, you are right if you said Payton’s name.

Maybe Shaq should reevaluate what went on in 2006 so that he can make a more sound choice.

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