Before we begin, the greatest of all the Shaq youtube videos. Trash talking to Vlade Divac set to the Cheers theme song:
Whenever I've watched the Suns play this season, I've forgotten who number 32 is. I know he's out there. He's too big to ignore. I know that he is significant, but at this point I tend to think of him more as the figure that marked a cataclysmic identity shift in his team (which now has no identity). It's a strange feeling, because there are very few players that I have seen in my lifetime that I respect as much as I respect him. I don't know if people will realize how significant he was, both on and off the court, until after he has retired.
The NBA has changed drastically over the past couple of years, as an influx of young and talented superstars have taken the torch and led the league into a new and promising era. As we headed towards All-Star Weekend 2009, I was looking forward to seeing these superstars put their talents on display. The addition of Shaquille O'Neal to the Western Conference team was sort of an afterthought. The idea that this might be the final All-Star appearance for one of the game's all time greats never even entered my realm of thought. However, I could not be happier with the way that things turned out. I will always remember All Star Weekend 2009 as the opportunity for all of us to witness one of the last great moments of one of the league's greatest icons. That, more than anything, made this All Star game a special one for me.
I enjoyed Sunday night's 27 point blowout even more than I enjoyed last year's game (which is saying a lot). It wasn't close, and yet it was incredibly fun to watch. The first half was intense, hard fought, and featured some of the toughest defense I can ever remember seeing in an All-Star game. I felt very satisfied at halftime, particularly with Paul Pierce leading all scorers. The second half, which was totally different, and tickled my fancy in a totally different way. It was fun. It was a show, which is really what All-Star games are all about. We got to see things that we would never see in a regular season game, and Shaq was a big part of that. As soon as he started taking the ball out on the perimeter, and bringing Dwight Howard out there with him, the mood of the game totally shifted and it was awesome. The Diesel was also able to turn back the clock and turn in some vintage Shaq dominance in the low post against the undersized Eastern Conference reserves.
Play of the night, hands down. The big Shaqtus goes through Dwight's legs and executes a nice give and go with Chris Paul:
Shaq up top, Chris Paul down in the paint.....this is what made Sunday night so great.
I started to get emotional on Sunday night when Shaq performed his dance with the Jabbawockeez during introductions. I realize how ridiculous that sounds......I really do......but that was the moment when it suddenly hit me that I was probably never going to see him on this stage again. He was the face of the NBA for a long time. He was the NBA in the same way that Jordan was the NBA before him and Kobe and LeBron are the NBA now, and I think he did it better than any of the others. On the court, he measures up in every way: statistically he is one of the top ten players of all time. Off the court, his humor and charismatic personality have made him more accessible than any player in history. LeBron and MJ are great in commercials, but nobody can entertain us spontaneously in press conferences and interviews like Shaq. He's a natural performer. Usually, when players dance, I cringe. But, how could you not love this? I could have watched it for hours:
It's hilarious. And, whether or not it was rehearsed, nobody else could have pulled it off.
So that was All-Star Weekend for me, all about Shaquille O'Neal. I don't think he should have won the MVP, but he was also the reason I went to bed feeling completely entertained and excited about the 27 point blowout I had just witnessed, so I guess that's pretty valuable.
Before I move on to the rest of the weekend, let me address a few questions that will naturally rise in opposition to this post:
1) Was the Shaq-Kobe co-MVP artificially created by the NBA?
--Most likely. Kobe was the MVP of that game. The NBA started hyping up the Bryant-O'Neal reunion as soon as it was announced that Shaq would be part of the game. I find it hard to believe that the two of them tied in voting. Now, the NBA could not have set this ahead of time. But, they certainly could have encouraged Phil Jackson to get Shaq heavily involved. This decision was definitely made before the fan votes were all in.
2) Should Shaq have even been an all-star?
--Obviously not if you are basing the answer strictly on what he has done in '08-'09. He plays very limited minutes on an average team, and does not even play on back to back nights. However, the man is one of the great icons ever to play in this league and I totally support the decision to let him participate in All-Star weekend one final time (most likely). The fact that the game was in Phoenix makes it a no-brainer. Magic Johnson was voted a starter in the 1992 game (and was the MVP of that game), and he was retired!
3) Was that lovefest between Shaq and Kobe real, and will they end up together before O'Neal retires?
--Probably not. Kobe has to smile and go along with whatever the league asks. His rare abilities have allowed him to move back into the good graces of NBA fans over the past few seasons, but he really has no choice but to remain warm and fuzzy. However, you'd better believe that he's just as likely to take up residence in Eagle, Colorado as he is to willingly team up with Shaq again.
The way Shaq was acting was much more puzzling to me. He does not like Kobe. It was not long ago that we were watching him on stage freestyle rapping about how Kobe is nothing without him and asking Kobe how his ass tastes. But, this weekend, he seemed almost desperate to convince the public that there is no issue between the two of them. I understand that he might be trying, by going through the court of public opinion, to convince the Lakers that they should bring him in for their title run. But, the odds of that happening are very slim, and I don't think it's worth it for him to start changing the story now. We are all convinced that Kobe was the untrustworthy, selfish scumbag in that situation. Shaq was just the funny, loveable big man. We all collectively cheered when the Heat defeated the Lakers on Christmas Day, and Shaq won his championship sans-Kobe. We cheered because we Kobe was the culprit. That was the story. Why would Shaq want to change that?
So no, that was not genuine. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they were asked to play around before the game (when we saw Kobe playfully defending Shaq out at the three point line).
It was all part of the league's marketing plan. Well, I just wrote an entire post about Shaq and Kobe. Well done NBA.
As for the rest of the weekend, I have some thoughts:
- Kevin Durant should have been an All-Star, and he proved it on Friday night. Early in the night, I thought we were going to see a rare rookie win. But then, Durant elevated his game to another level...an all-star level.
- The Skills Competition has to go. Every year I get amped up for the Saturday night festivities, and every year I end up tuning this crap out about half way through. It lacks the suspense of the three point contest and the excitement of the slam dunk contest. Guys throwing balls through hoops and running around cones....it just doesn't translate well to television. Luckily, we have a solution........
- HORSE was a huge success, and I think it is just what we need to fill the first Saturday night slot. Guys shooting long range, from the stands, with their backs to the basket, it's all exciting. It belongs inside the arena, and I think that moving it to a primetime spot will spawn more planning and creativity in the shots.
- As I've grown older I've learned that the dunk contest, because of how subjective it is, is something that you just have to enjoy regardless of the result. A few years ago, I got all worked up because I felt like Nate Robinson did not deserve to beat out Andre Iguodala. This year, I felt that Robinson was totally deserving of his victory. That being said, I have some thoughts on it:
The first dunk of the night, JR Smith's double bounce, should have gotten higher scores. That looked very difficult to time up. Smith's second dunk (with Sonny Weems) was lame and required many attempts, so I don't feel bad that he didn't advance.
Like many people in Boston, I was rooting hard for Rudy Fernandez to fail in successfully completing his dunk with Pau the llama Gasol. That being said, it was an impressive dunk. If he had nailed it on the first try (maybe if Gasol wasn't being an asshole and trying to throw it behind his back), I think it would have been a 50.
Of all the night's dunks, this one (the first, off the side of the backboard) impressed me more than any others:
Off the side of the backboard has been done before....but look at that extension on the arm. Nobody else could have not only reeled that ball in, but thrown it down so hard. The guy is a physical freak.
I've heard a lot of people take issue with Howard attempting the leap from the free throw line as his final dunk, because it "doesn't look that great when you're 6'11". Fair enough. But, just remember, he weighs 265 pounds. And, most 7 footers in the league have little to no leaping ability. Imagine yourself standing at the foul line shooting a free throw....now imagine you weigh 265 pounds and you're jumping from there...what are the odds you're going to make it to the rim? Not very good. I'd need a rocket pack.
But, Dwight stepped over the line and I have no problem with the outcome. I thought both finalists put on a great show. But, overall it was not as exciting as last year and it certainly will not be as exciting as next year.
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