ducks
04-05-2005, 11:06 PM
O'Neal misses Heat game with stomach ailment
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
April 5, 2005
MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal missed Miami's game against Chicago on Tuesday with a stomach ailment, marking the fifth game the Heat's All-Star center has missed this season because of injury or illness.(SISSY)
Michael Doleac started in O'Neal's place.
``It's a drastic change for us. ... There's not those times where you can just dump it into the post, stand and get a rest while Shaq's doing the work,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said.
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O'Neal certainly won't look back on this year's season series with the Bulls fondly; he fell awkwardly over Chicago forward Othella Harrington early in the teams' last meeting on Feb. 22, spraining his knee and missing essentially four full games -- including the last 51 minutes of the Heat's overtime loss in Chicago that night.
He had vowed to use Tuesday's game as a way of exacting some revenge against Harrington, whom O'Neal called ``clumsy'' and blamed for the spill -- but neither made it to tip-off. Harrington did not accompany the Bulls to Miami because his wife was close to delivering a child, Chicago coach Scott Skiles said.
O'Neal, who also missed practice Monday, averaged 27.6 points and 13.1 rebounds over his last seven games, increasing his season averages to 23.0 points and 10.6 rebounds. He leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (.599), ranks fifth in rebounds, sixth in blocks (2.4) and 11th in scoring.
``You can't replace Shaquille O'Neal, not just in scoring and rebounding but in his presence on the basketball court,'' Heat guard Damon Jones said. ``But we have been successful without him and we just have to change our mind-set in the way that we approach the game and play on both ends of the floor.''
Both teams entered the game with less-than-perfect health situations.
Chicago dressed only 10 players; besides Harrington's excused absence, forward Eddy Curry is still being monitored because of an irregular heartbeat and rookie forward Luol Deng was placed on the injured list. He is out for the season with a wrist injury.
Miami forward Eddie Jones is still troubled by a high ankle sprain he suffered last week, but was able to play Tuesday.
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
April 5, 2005
MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal missed Miami's game against Chicago on Tuesday with a stomach ailment, marking the fifth game the Heat's All-Star center has missed this season because of injury or illness.(SISSY)
Michael Doleac started in O'Neal's place.
``It's a drastic change for us. ... There's not those times where you can just dump it into the post, stand and get a rest while Shaq's doing the work,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said.
ADVERTISEMENT
O'Neal certainly won't look back on this year's season series with the Bulls fondly; he fell awkwardly over Chicago forward Othella Harrington early in the teams' last meeting on Feb. 22, spraining his knee and missing essentially four full games -- including the last 51 minutes of the Heat's overtime loss in Chicago that night.
He had vowed to use Tuesday's game as a way of exacting some revenge against Harrington, whom O'Neal called ``clumsy'' and blamed for the spill -- but neither made it to tip-off. Harrington did not accompany the Bulls to Miami because his wife was close to delivering a child, Chicago coach Scott Skiles said.
O'Neal, who also missed practice Monday, averaged 27.6 points and 13.1 rebounds over his last seven games, increasing his season averages to 23.0 points and 10.6 rebounds. He leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (.599), ranks fifth in rebounds, sixth in blocks (2.4) and 11th in scoring.
``You can't replace Shaquille O'Neal, not just in scoring and rebounding but in his presence on the basketball court,'' Heat guard Damon Jones said. ``But we have been successful without him and we just have to change our mind-set in the way that we approach the game and play on both ends of the floor.''
Both teams entered the game with less-than-perfect health situations.
Chicago dressed only 10 players; besides Harrington's excused absence, forward Eddy Curry is still being monitored because of an irregular heartbeat and rookie forward Luol Deng was placed on the injured list. He is out for the season with a wrist injury.
Miami forward Eddie Jones is still troubled by a high ankle sprain he suffered last week, but was able to play Tuesday.