Shaquille O’Neal News

“So I thought it was a tough call.”

This is the fifth installment in a series based on a recent interview with NBA referee Bennett Salvatore. via True Hoop

The Miami Heat will try for back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they welcome the Atlanta Hawks tonight to AmericanAirlines Arena. via SanLuisObispo.com

“He’s fit in. Even though he’s only 20, he’s very mature”

Notebook

Embattled Heat center O’Neal says `I’ll step up’

Heat guard Dwyane Wade called him out in the media. Coach Pat Riley called him out with a quick hook.Apparently, Shaquille O’Neal has received the message.

‘I’ll step up,’ the Heat center vowed after Tuesday’s practice. ‘I will. Have no fear.’

Three contentious days turned to a consensus Tuesday, with O’Neal moving past his benching 58 seconds into Saturday’s victory in New Jersey, and with Wade saying his only message to O’Neal is that his teammates are there to help. Read more

“Not too many people have a chance to leave a team and then come back.”

“Yeah, well, it’s been five different teams and 10 different coaches,” the former Celtics [ team stats ] swingman said last night. via Boston Herald

Shahrukh ‘’Shak'’ Dhanji, a state human relations commissioner, filed paperwork Monday to run for Broward County sheriff in 2008. via Floridatoday.com

No way is the Heat done. The Heat is going to get into the playoffs. And no team will want to play Miami in the first round. via Kansas City Star

“Being from Baton Rouge and watching him play, I wanted to be just like him.”

When a player that good is sweating the details, the ripple runs all the way through the club. via Boston Herald

“Right now, what we can all agree on is that the best thing for the Knicks is to get on the court and win some basketball games.”

A new, embarrassing day for the Knicks Just when you think the Knicks can’t embarrass themselves further, the sun comes up again. via Los Angeles Times

Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, November 18, 2007 Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C4 That wasn’t Pat Riley added to the lineup the other night after all, just some guy named Dwyane Wade in a desperately … via The Sacramento Bee

Is 35 the age of decline? In his 16th season in the NBA, Heat center Shaquille O’Neal has taken a lot of, um, heat because his numbers are down and he hasn’t been able to push Miami beyond a 1-8 record. via Fort Worth Star-Telegram

James Posey, making less money than he did with the Heat, is playing a reduced role with Boston, averaging 17 minutes a game. via Miami Herald

“He’s our leader, [along] with myself. When you hear about the Miami Heat, it’s Shaq and D-Wade. A lot is on us to lead the team and we have got to find a way to do it.”

Shaquille O’Neal says he and Dwyane Wade have no problems. O’Neal and the Miami Heat are still struggling at 1-8 after their loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night. via ESPN

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points, Penny Hardaway added 16 in his best game since returning to the NBA, and the Miami Heat beat the New Jersey Nets 91-87 Saturday night for their second victory of the season.

Shaquille O’Neal had 18 points for the Heat (2-8), who snapped a three-game skid and sent the Nets to their fifth straight loss. Hardaway was 6-of-6 from the field, making three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Wade was only 4-for-17 from the floor in his third game of the season, but made 15 of 20 free throws before a clinching jumper in the final second. Read more

Paul Pierce’s layup gave Boston the lead for good with 25 seconds left, as the Celtics won their eighth straight game to start the season, 92-91, over the struggling Miami Heat. via Sports Network

“They come in, they play, they get beat, they go home. They go out into the night, you know. I bleed blood red, that’s why I made the carpets blood red. That was sort of my motto.”

Is the legend anything close to what he was? Does he command the old respect? Does he still matter? Shaquille O’Neal? No, not him. via SouthFlorida.com