Shaquille O’Neal: The towering juggernaut finally calls it a day – Part 2
Link for part-1: http://www.senore.com/Shaquille-ONeal-The-towering-juggernaut-finally-calls-it-a-day-Part-1-a73112
Los Angeles and O’Neal looked like the perfect fit from the start. The glamorous city gave the always funny and creative Shaquille a great platform to establish himself as pop celebrity as he romped around Hollywood. O’Neal also continued to be amazing on the court and in 1999-2000 season he won his first NBA World Championship. Assisted by a young Kobe Bryant, Shaq and the Lakers dominated the league for the next two years as well, making it three NBA World titles in a row. Shaquille O’Neal was also named the Finals MVP for all of those, making him the only player to win Three MVP Finals in a row since Michael Jordan.
This was the period when Shaquille O’Neal was at the height of his powers, fit and focused on his game. He intimidated opponents by his mere presence on the court and tore them apart with a wily smile on his face. So powerful and strong was “The Diesel” that he could go to the rim whenever he wanted and entire teams looked helpless to stop him.
In their desperation, opponents turned to the “Hack-a-Shaq” tactic. This meant fouling O’Neal and forcing him to go to the line. Free throws were something of an Achilles’ heel for the big man and he struggled with them throughout his career. Although the tactic was somewhat successful, eventually teams just ran out of fouls to give.
O’Neal’s stay at the Lakers however grew increasingly uneasy as he had issues with the Kobe Bryant, who wanted more and more importance in the team. He also had contract disputes with the owner with Shaquille demanding more money and the Lakers not willing to comply. After another failed charge for the title in 2004 and coach Phil Jackson’s departure, O’Neal demanded a trade.
Los Angeles complied and Shaq landed in the Miami Heat. Here he teamed up with a rising star of the league in Dwyane Wade and an aging great in Alonzo Mourning. The three of them combined to bring the Miami franchise it’s first, and O’Neal’s fourth, NBA World Championship in 2006. Shaquille’s impact on Miami was hailed throughout the basketball world and his status as a great was cemented after the win.
However his career went downhill from there. Injuries and age started to slow down the “Superman” and his influence slowly faded. Shaquille was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2008 and fell to the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. He next went to the Cleveland Cavaliers to team up with superstar LeBron James. However injuries restricted his involvement and even when they didn’t, O’Neal was nowhere near his best. That year O’Neal also became the oldest player in the league.
One more season followed, this time with the Boston Celtics. Shaquille was disappointing again. Injuries forced him to miss most of the preseason as the Celtics lost out to the Miami Heat in the second round with O’Neal being a non factor.
This brings us to today, with Shaquille O’Neal having called it a day and riding into the sunset. It has been a superb career for the 7-foot-1 titan who has towered over everyone else in the league for many years now. His retirement has seen tributes flooding in from many current and inactive players, including legends like Bill Russell and Charles Barkley.
And everyone has one common thing to say, the NBA is going to miss Shaquille O’Neal.
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