On the Court With... Shaquille O'Neal (11 page)

They were right. Jackson was the first to go, announcing his departure on Friday, June 18. On June 19, word leaked out that
Shaq had asked to be traded. Less than one month later, Shaq's agent informed the world that O'Neal had agreed to sign with
the Miami Heat. Kobe, it turned out, would be the only one of the three to stay behind.

The Miami Heat had had a dismal season two years earlier, with a record of 25 wins and 57 losses. The next year they improved
dramatically and went 42 and 40. Shaq planned to help them improve that record even more.

Despite a setback preseason, when coach Pat Riley abruptly left the Heat, Miami came out strong, winning 21 of their first
28 games. Then, on December 25, the Heat faced the Lakers for the first time. Fans everywhere looked forward to seeing Shaq
play against Kobe—and speculated which player and team would come out on top.

In the end, it was a split. While Kobe surpassed
Shaq in stats with a season high of 42 points to Shaq's 24, the Heat took the game 104–02 in overtime. Shaq, who fouled out
with 2:15 left in the game, spoke highly of his team's performance. “My team came out and played well,” he said. “That's all
we wanted to do … come in here and win. It was a fun game. Merry Christmas.”

By the end of March 2005, the Heat were blistering most of their competition. Their record stood at 54–18, placing them first
in the Southeast. Shaq was averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds a game. More importantly, he was helping his teammates play
better ball—particularly guard Dwyane Wade, who credited his awesome center for raising his game to a higher level. Shaq,
who just one year before had been entrenched in a bitter battle of words with guard Kobe Bryant, has had nothing but praise
for Wade, calling him a hard-nosed player with heart.

Just how far Shaq and his new team will go in the 2004–2005 season is anybody's guess, but with les than a month left, it
seems certain that they will soon find themselves right where O'Neal wants them to be—in the playoffs battling their way toward
their first championship ring.

Baseball Flyhawk	Dirt Bike Runaway
Baseball Pals	Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround	Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts	Face-Off
Body Check	Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass!	Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm	Football Nightmare
Catching Waves	The Fox Steals Home