ducks
06-16-2006, 09:24 AM
Shaq Unplugged: I am 'Superman'
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal did his share of laughing during and after Game 4 of the NBA finals.
He laughed a bit when referee Dick Bavetta hit him with a first-half technical foul, after a conversation in which O'Neal said he was only trying to be polite.
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He even laughed a little after Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse leveled him on a fast-break chance in the third quarter, sparking a minor brouhaha.
But after the Miami Heat finished off their 98-74 win over the Mavericks on Thursday night, O'Neal really started to enjoy himself.
He said Stackhouse's tackle wasn't even as hard a hit as the ones his daughters levy against him. He deadpanned that the no-look pass, like the one he threw to James Posey in the third quarter, is part of his regular repertoire.
And he closed his postgame press conference with another comedic gem.
"Win or lose, I am programmed to do more," O'Neal said. "That's because I am the other son of Jorel -- Superman."
Remember, he does have Superman tattoos, plus had the distinctive 'S' logo on the grill and adorning the rims of some of his cars.
MISFIRING MAVS
There's no record for shots missed on a single possession of the NBA finals. If one existed, the Dallas Mavericks may have challenged it Thursday night.
In a 47-second span of Game 4, the Mavericks took five shots -- and missed them all.
It started with 3:42 left in the first quarter, when Dirk Nowitzki rebounded a hook shot that sailed long out of the hand of Miami's Alonzo Mourning. The Mavs brought the ball upcourt, and here's what happened:
-- Jerry Stackhouse missed a jumper, Adrian Griffin got the rebound.
-- Jason Terry missed a driving layup, and Stackhouse controlled that rebound.
-- Stackhouse missed again, with Griffin getting another rebound.
-- Terry missed, but Griffin got his third rebound in a 31-second span.
-- Terry missed again, and Mourning -- finally -- controlled the ball for Miami with 2:55 remaining.
Take away those five misses, and Dallas would have shot 50 percent in the quarter. But with them, the Mavs' percentage for the opening period sunk to 39 percent -- 9-for-23.
It didn't get much better for Dallas the rest of the way. The Heat won tied the series with a 98-74 victory -- after Dallas scored an NBA-record-low seven points in the fourth quarter.
EPSOM REMEDY
In case the team of medical personnel and the high-tech equipment that fills every corner of the Miami Heat training room wasn't enough, Pat Riley suggested a different treatment for Dwyane Wade's injured left knee.
Epsom Salts.
Hey, it worked for Riley once.
"I broke my nose one time, came home, told my mother I broke my nose, she said, `Take a bath,"' Riley said. "I did. Back in the old days, that's how they used to handle a broken nose. Epsom Salts helps everything."
He might be right.
According to Web sites devoted to Epsom usage, the salts can be added to bath water for a soothing soak, help take the sting out of insect bites, cleanse and exfoliate skin, make a nice skin mask (when mixed with cognac, milk, lemon and one egg, of course), plus do wonders for garden and lawn growth.
But good old-fashioned electronic stimulation and ice seemed to do the trick for Wade, who injured the knee in the third quarter of Miami's Game 3 win Tuesday over the Dallas Mavericks. He had 36 points and six rebounds in Game 4, no Epsom Salts required.
DIRK RECORD
On the day when Michael Jordan got a new job, he lost one of his NBA records.
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki's two free throws 30 seconds into Thursday's Game 4 of the finals gave him 184 makes from the line this postseason, one more than Jordan's total for the Chicago Bulls in the 1988-89 playoffs.
Nowitzki finished 11-for-13 from the foul line, giving him 193 free throws made in the playoffs.
Jordan became part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats on Thursday in a deal that gives him a stake in most of majority partner Robert Johnson's ventures. Jordan's investment makes him second only to Johnson as the largest individual owner of the Bobcats.
HERE AND THERE
Jason McElwain, the autistic basketball manager from the suburbs of Rochester, N.Y., who earned national acclaim for scoring 20 points in four minutes of Greece Athena High's final home game this season, was in attendance. ... Dallas has allowed an opposing player to score 30 or more points in 10 of its last 17 games. ... Dallas center D.J. Mbenga is eligible to return Sunday from a six-game suspension for entering the stands in the Mavs-Phoenix series. ... Not only was Game 4 sold out in Miami, the "watch party" at Dallas' American Airlines Center also was a sellout. ... Heat fans chanted "Da-vid Has-sel-hoff" when Dirk Nowitzki shot free throws. The Mavericks complained about how video screens were used to remind fans about the ploy, which was rehearsed before tip-off. But for some reason, the screen asked fans to chant with 3:56 left in the half -- when Jason Williams shot a free throw, and missed.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-nbafinalsnotebook&prov=ap&type=lgns
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal did his share of laughing during and after Game 4 of the NBA finals.
He laughed a bit when referee Dick Bavetta hit him with a first-half technical foul, after a conversation in which O'Neal said he was only trying to be polite.
ADVERTISEMENT
He even laughed a little after Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse leveled him on a fast-break chance in the third quarter, sparking a minor brouhaha.
But after the Miami Heat finished off their 98-74 win over the Mavericks on Thursday night, O'Neal really started to enjoy himself.
He said Stackhouse's tackle wasn't even as hard a hit as the ones his daughters levy against him. He deadpanned that the no-look pass, like the one he threw to James Posey in the third quarter, is part of his regular repertoire.
And he closed his postgame press conference with another comedic gem.
"Win or lose, I am programmed to do more," O'Neal said. "That's because I am the other son of Jorel -- Superman."
Remember, he does have Superman tattoos, plus had the distinctive 'S' logo on the grill and adorning the rims of some of his cars.
MISFIRING MAVS
There's no record for shots missed on a single possession of the NBA finals. If one existed, the Dallas Mavericks may have challenged it Thursday night.
In a 47-second span of Game 4, the Mavericks took five shots -- and missed them all.
It started with 3:42 left in the first quarter, when Dirk Nowitzki rebounded a hook shot that sailed long out of the hand of Miami's Alonzo Mourning. The Mavs brought the ball upcourt, and here's what happened:
-- Jerry Stackhouse missed a jumper, Adrian Griffin got the rebound.
-- Jason Terry missed a driving layup, and Stackhouse controlled that rebound.
-- Stackhouse missed again, with Griffin getting another rebound.
-- Terry missed, but Griffin got his third rebound in a 31-second span.
-- Terry missed again, and Mourning -- finally -- controlled the ball for Miami with 2:55 remaining.
Take away those five misses, and Dallas would have shot 50 percent in the quarter. But with them, the Mavs' percentage for the opening period sunk to 39 percent -- 9-for-23.
It didn't get much better for Dallas the rest of the way. The Heat won tied the series with a 98-74 victory -- after Dallas scored an NBA-record-low seven points in the fourth quarter.
EPSOM REMEDY
In case the team of medical personnel and the high-tech equipment that fills every corner of the Miami Heat training room wasn't enough, Pat Riley suggested a different treatment for Dwyane Wade's injured left knee.
Epsom Salts.
Hey, it worked for Riley once.
"I broke my nose one time, came home, told my mother I broke my nose, she said, `Take a bath,"' Riley said. "I did. Back in the old days, that's how they used to handle a broken nose. Epsom Salts helps everything."
He might be right.
According to Web sites devoted to Epsom usage, the salts can be added to bath water for a soothing soak, help take the sting out of insect bites, cleanse and exfoliate skin, make a nice skin mask (when mixed with cognac, milk, lemon and one egg, of course), plus do wonders for garden and lawn growth.
But good old-fashioned electronic stimulation and ice seemed to do the trick for Wade, who injured the knee in the third quarter of Miami's Game 3 win Tuesday over the Dallas Mavericks. He had 36 points and six rebounds in Game 4, no Epsom Salts required.
DIRK RECORD
On the day when Michael Jordan got a new job, he lost one of his NBA records.
Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki's two free throws 30 seconds into Thursday's Game 4 of the finals gave him 184 makes from the line this postseason, one more than Jordan's total for the Chicago Bulls in the 1988-89 playoffs.
Nowitzki finished 11-for-13 from the foul line, giving him 193 free throws made in the playoffs.
Jordan became part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats on Thursday in a deal that gives him a stake in most of majority partner Robert Johnson's ventures. Jordan's investment makes him second only to Johnson as the largest individual owner of the Bobcats.
HERE AND THERE
Jason McElwain, the autistic basketball manager from the suburbs of Rochester, N.Y., who earned national acclaim for scoring 20 points in four minutes of Greece Athena High's final home game this season, was in attendance. ... Dallas has allowed an opposing player to score 30 or more points in 10 of its last 17 games. ... Dallas center D.J. Mbenga is eligible to return Sunday from a six-game suspension for entering the stands in the Mavs-Phoenix series. ... Not only was Game 4 sold out in Miami, the "watch party" at Dallas' American Airlines Center also was a sellout. ... Heat fans chanted "Da-vid Has-sel-hoff" when Dirk Nowitzki shot free throws. The Mavericks complained about how video screens were used to remind fans about the ploy, which was rehearsed before tip-off. But for some reason, the screen asked fans to chant with 3:56 left in the half -- when Jason Williams shot a free throw, and missed.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-nbafinalsnotebook&prov=ap&type=lgns