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According to Pop, Rose never guarded Shaq.
I guess he forgot.
Knicks' Rose Embraces a Role, and O'Neal
By HOWARD BECK
Published: March 15, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/sp.../15knicks.html
REENBURGH, N.Y., March 14 - Doubt Malik Rose's sanity, if you must. Others certainly have. Many more undoubtedly will by the end of this week, after the height-deficient Rose has gone head-to-ribs with Shaquille O'Neal, and at his request.
As an undersized big man - an oxymoron, if ever there was one - it is what you do to make it in the N.B.A. So several years ago, as a young fringe player with the San Antonio Spurs, Rose approached his coach, Gregg Popovich, and volunteered for Shaq duty.
That moment of inspiration (or pure foolishness) turned into a six-year vocation. Rose became the Spurs' designated O'Neal defender off the bench every time the Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers met, including five playoff series between 1999 and 2004.
"When I first guarded Shaq, it was when I was trying to keep a job," recalled Rose, who was obtained by the Knicks last month. "So I just ran out there and tried to do whatever."
The Knicks can only hope that the modest success Rose enjoyed will give them an edge against O'Neal and his new team, the Miami Heat. The Knicks and the Heat play Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden and again Saturday in South Florida.
It is a critical stretch for the Knicks (26-35), whose playoff hopes hinge on every game. If O'Neal runs wild through the Knicks' interior this week, he might trample their postseason dreams.
So Coach Herb Williams's strategy against O'Neal is simple. "We're going to use everybody we have," he said.
Mike Sweetney, the Knicks' stout young center, will guard O'Neal to start the game, allowing Kurt Thomas to avoid early foul trouble. After Sweetney, the Knicks will send a chorus line of relative runts at O'Neal, who is 7 feet 1 inch and 330 pounds. Having traded 6-10 Nazr Mohammed for Rose, the Knicks have a rotation littered with big men measuring 6-7 to 6-9, none heavier than 270 pounds (Sweetney).
Williams promises to send double-team help, as the Knicks did in a 116-110 overtime loss to Miami on Feb. 9. They held O'Neal to 16 points, only to get buried by guard Dwyane Wade, who scored 10 of his 30 points in overtime.
But any hope of beating Miami begins and ends with defending O'Neal, and the Knicks now have a new option.
In San Antonio, Rose had an unofficial nickname - Generously Listed. He is probably 6-5, but as countless articles noted, he was generously listed at 6-7 in his official biography.
When Rose's turn against O'Neal comes, he will embrace it with a peculiar enthusiasm.
" , yeah," Rose said, smiling. "Twice in a week."
Rose is looking for redemption. He played perhaps his worst game as a Knick in Sunday's loss to Seattle, committing a late offensive foul and missing a critical free throw.
"Every time I used to play against Shaq, win or lose, I looked at it as I'm going up against the most dominant post player in the game," Rose said. "If I make him miss a shot or I get a rebound on him, I feel that much better. So it kind of boosts my confidence, and I could use a little bit of that right now."
Only a handful of players Rose's height have had success against O'Neal.
Danny Fortson, rotund and powerful, has sometimes flustered O'Neal with his aggression. Charles Barkley, perhaps the greatest 6-6 power player in N.B.A. history, used strength and a low center of gravity.
Rose has the low center of gravity, but a modest supply of muscle. Yet he gained a loyal following in San Antonio for his hustle and smart play, and his willingness to sacrifice his well-being.
"I used to always call him the most versatile defender in Spurs history," Seattle's Antonio Daniels, Rose's former Spurs teammate, said. "One day he would guard Shaq, and the next day we would play in Orlando and he would guard Tracy McGrady."
But it was O'Neal who made Rose a hero to Spurs fans. Daniels said Rose succeeded by using his quickness and his shrewdness, bumping O'Neal from behind on one possession, playing off him on the next.
"It was like he was always feeling for Malik and could never find him," Daniels said.
Whenever possible, Rose simply pinned himself to O'Neal.
"I'm like a book bag on him," Rose said. "I hang on his back all night long."
His low moment against O'Neal came in the 2001 Western Conference finals, a four-games-to-none Lakers sweep.
"I would do all my little tricks on him and he wasn't having it," Rose said. "I was helpless. He wouldn't let me get any offensive rebounds, he wouldn't let me push him out. That was a nightmare."
The only one unimpressed with Rose's sturdy defense on Shaq is Shaq.
"He does what everybody else does," O'Neal said. "Grab and foul and hope that the ref doesn't call it."
According to Pop, Rose never guarded Shaq.
I guess he forgot.
Cool.When Rose's turn against O'Neal comes, he will embrace it with a peculiar enthusiasm.
" , yeah," Rose said, smiling. "Twice in a week."
i want to see this game....Rose is no doubt overmatched, but if he can just pull the chair away one time and let us all see shaq fall on his ass, i'll be a happy camper....
that bas , how dare he forget something.According to Pop, Rose never guarded Shaq.
I guess he forgot
be intersting to see how rose handles shaq without having duncan behind him to back him up
Where is the Link.According to Pop, Rose never guarded Shaq.
I guess he forgot.
It was in a Pop show. Someone called and asked if losing Rose will hurt if they have to play the Heat in the Finals and Pop responded by saying something like: "We never put Rose on Shaq so I'm not sure what you are talking about."
I'm gonna laugh when Shaq goes for 40 and 20. Yeah, a few years back Malik could pester Shaq, but he hasn't been able to guard him for two years now (and I don't mean because of lack of PT).
well, shaq had 33pts and 18reb's last game pre-trade....
lets see what he gets this time....
http://www.usatoday.com/
The hate continues.
Not a hater, just a realist. I loved what Rose did to Shaq in '99 as much as anyone, but the last several times the teams have met Shaq's treated Rose as little more than a fly.
hate.
or realistic.
Im gonna say, realistic.
But hey, Malik has a steak joint, he must be great.
graciasjust a realist
Pop hasn't put Rose on Shaq in years. But to say he NEVER guarded Shaq is wrong.
AHF continues his Malik Rose bashing.
T Park continues his bashing of NBA players not on the Spurs.
T Park continues his bashing of NBA players not on the Spurs
Hmm, guess you dont pay attention very well when I propped Mohammed, Ive propped Grant HIll, Vladamir Radmonovic, Ray Allen.
But, of course, you must always be right.
How many of their jerseys do you have?
Checkmate.
Owned like the jersey owning you are!
You know, most of the time Kori stays out of the smackdowns, but boy did she lay the wood on this one.
so i havent complimented him before that??
Love to just pick me out.
TPark, you know I am just giving you are hard time.
You may have complimented him before.
But you so high and mightily took on timvp with your "you must always be right" comment that I figured that I would point out that you did indeed bash Radmanovic.
timvp is my husband. I protect my loved ones when possible.
By the way, we are looking into a possible GTG for the Pacers game -- so if we have one, you better come. I don't know if Kris will be able to make it. He's busy with law school and his wedding planning.
Sniff, no fair lol jk.
I know. Damn Kris is gettin married???
Damn maybe i shouldve given the ex that mercedes she wanted.
If there is one? Im garunteeing im there, Ill have my Nazr Mohammed Rasho and Beno jerseys there
Yeah, I had a feeling after I told TIMVP that, youd find something stupid Id said, wich BTW, is NOT very hard.TPark, you know I am just giving you are hard time
Damn, hope he doesn't turn into an ambulance chaser.law school
New york up 10 at 3 Quarter time, 78-68.
Shaq has 15 on 6-10 and also 5 rebounds. 0 blocks, 0 assists and 2 TO's in 29 minutes.
Malik has 8 on 3-4 and also 1 assist, 1 TO and 0 rebounds in 14 minutes.
I'm not able to watch the game to see if they have matched up on each other though. Doesn't seem like Shaq is "struggling", but he doesn't look like he is "dominating" either.
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