Shaquille O'Neal could watch with detachment, rather than irritation, when Alonzo Mourning celebrated his brute move for a second-quarter layup by curling his impressive biceps and yelling at his ample muscle.
What does one say to his biceps? More important, is the biceps listening to the self-consumed Zo?
Mourning moaned his way out of New Jersey this season, manipulated an exit from Toronto and put himself in Miami, all as rude thanks for his US$20 million contract, all because the Nets suddenly fell beneath his high standards.
PHOTO: AFP
"I didn't see a reward at all," Mourning said Sunday after the Heat took Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round NBA playoff series against the Nets 116-98 at American Airlines Arena. "I wanted to be in a situation where with the work that I put in all my life, I would possibly see a reward at the end of it all."
So who, of all foils, did he turn to? Shaq. This is the man Zo needs for the title payoff. And Shaq knows it, of course. It must be a bit delicious for Shaq to be craved by someone who once reviled him.
So although Shaq once resented his former rival's obsessive flexing and preening and growling, he can tolerate the more vulnerable Mourning because O'Neal's status as The Man is not threatened.
His status as The Ham is secure, too, even though Damon Jones can easily stand next to Shaq in comedic value. In truth, Jones is Shaq's favorite punch-line pal. He gets a kick out of Jones, a player who treats every moment in front of microphones like karaoke night.
After he hit 7 of 9 3-pointers on his way to 30 points, Jones showed up in the pressroom wearing P. Diddy-like sunglasses and Liz Taylor's diamonds, and then said with a smile: "I feel like a movie star right now. A humble movie star."
A co-star, in reality. After all, Shaq is the only leading man in Miami. Or is he?
There is one Heat player who could -- if he chose -- truly upstage O'Neal's stardom. And it isn't Zo or a Jones named Damon or Eddie.
The argument could be made that Dwyane Wade has emerged as an equal in Miami's incarnation as a championship contender. But the question of who is better -- Shaq or Dwyane? -- isn't relevant in Miami because the answer doesn't matter to Wade.
This is why he is perfect for Shaq: Wade is the un-Kobe. His skills may not be as refined or polished as Kobe's, but Wade can slither and contort, spin and float around the basket for miracle shots, too. His 32 points said so Sunday.
His talent may not be as photogenic as Kobe's, but Wade leaves defenders weak-kneed from guarding his deception. Will Wade score on a runner or dunk, a jumper or reverse layup? Or will he pass behind his back? No one ever knows. His eight assists revealed that.
"When it's playoff times, it is not the Dwyane show or the Shaq show," Wade said. "It is the Miami Heat time. It's all about the team. There are going to be some nights where I am going to have more assists than points. I'm fine with that as long as we win."
Shaq is the one who nicknamed Wade Flash, and yet showmanship is not in his bloodstream.
"The kid is so humble," Eddie Jones said. "I've been around a lot of guys coming into this league, but he is the most humble I've seen. I think it has everything to do with the fact that he is married and has a child. That settles you down."
Somehow, this very same scenario -- wife and child -- did not give Bryant the kind of humble perspective to appreciate Shaq during their turbulent time together as Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant wanted to upstage Shaq and wound up undermining the Lakers. He wanted to call all the shots and wound up shooting his own legacy. Bryant wanted to be the team, not a teammate.
Wade doesn't want what Kobe wanted. He longs to win, even if he is known as Shaq's little brother, even if Shaq gets credit for making him better, even if Shaq calls the team his own.
"I woke up," said Shaq, who played with a thigh bruise and still scored 17 points in 32 minutes. "I was able to walk; I was able to run. I said to myself, `I can't leave my guys hanging."'
His guys or Wade's guys? Unlike Los Angeles, the questions about whose team it is will probably never matter because the answer isn't relevant to the only player who could possibly usurp the star power of Shaq.
Zo can growl and make small talk to his biceps. Damon Jones can crack jokes and fall in love with the camera. But Shaq will never feel threatened by such a supporting cast.
Wade is the one who could be a superstar on any team, the one who could fly solo if he chose, but he doesn't want to go it alone at the risk of losing. He is not like Kobe at all. In this way, he is perfect for Shaq.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
Playing soccer and competing for trophies is the best way that many transplanted Hong Kongers and Macanese have found to stay in touch, and to interact with Taiwanese society, said officials at the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Football Friendship Cup, which was held on April 13. Twelve clubs, mostly of players and coaches originally from Hong Kong and Macau, took part in the tournament in New Taipei City. The event is sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council. Participating teams were from the wider Taipei area, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and other areas. They divided into two