RedZone Diaries - The Power of Two

Eighth Annual Family Festival

The Miami HEAT Trivia Experience!

Dancer Gallery Fourteen

When two shining stars share the same sky they light up the night.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, the two brightest stars in the seventeen-year history of the Miami HEAT, have illuminated an entire season of nights; night after night.

Together, they have formed the NBA’s best star-partnership and have the HEAT on the verge of their most serious run at an NBA Championship, to date.

O’Neal, 33, in his thirteenth season and Wade, 23, in just his second year in the league, both are finishing up hi-impact regular seasons. O’Neal is the favorite to win the NBA’s MVP award and Wade is already a top ten player. Together they have elevated each of their teammates while lifting their team to elite level status.

The fact that the Diesel has only been named regular season MVP once (1999-2000) in his first twelve years is a travesty. He should not be denied that award this time around. He is unique. His impact on a game and his team can not be duplicated by any other player. He dominates like no other. He gives you a chance to win consistently and to win it all.

Last years HEAT team finished the season with 211 dunks. This year, Shaq, by himself, has over 250 slams. He is a priceless presence. He leads the league in field goal percentage (second best in his career), free-throw attempts and dunks. At the moment, he ranks 5th in rebounding and double-doubles, 6th in blocks and is tied for 11th in scoring.

While point-guard, Steve Nash has had an incredible season guiding the Phoenix Suns and is the best of the rest of the NBA’s MVP contenders, he should finish no better than second to one, Shaq.

Look not only at their present accomplishments (both O’Neal and Nash, are in their first years with their respective new teams) but look back as well. The Dallas Mavericks, without Nash are the 4th seed in the West and still a dynamic offensive team.

The Los Angeles Lakers, NBA finalists last spring with O’Neal are ordinary without him. They will miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade. That trade, ill-fated for the purple and gold, has made the Lakers an after thought and transformed the Heat into prime time team.

By himself, The Diesel, makes the HEAT a heavyweight. With Wade, flying fast and high, alongside they have molded Miami into a contender for the crown in their first year together.

Dwyane Wade has had an amazing sophomore season in the NBA. He quickly went, from one of the best young players in the game, to one of the best players, period. Anything less than 2nd Team All-NBA honors would be shortchanging the season he has had.

He has been remarkably spectacular and consistent. He is having the greatest offensive season in franchise history. His 24.3 points a game is the most ever averaged by a HEAT player, besting Alonzo Mourning’s 23.2 average in 1995-96. Wade has also set the HEAT’s single season record for free throws made. He ranks third in the NBA in free throws made and attempted.

He stands 8th in the NBA, in scoring and assists a rare feat indeed. Since 1979 only 9 times by 7 players has anyone ranked in the top ten for a season in both categories. This year Wade, Lebron James and Allen Iverson are about to be the first trio to do that in the same season.

It’s not just offense that separates Wade from the pack. Have you noticed his much improved defense? He ranks 10th in the NBA in steals and is the best shot-blocking guard in basketball. He will finish the season with well over 100 steals (114 currently) and close to 100 blocks. Through 74 games he has 80 blocks; he had 34 as a rookie. Only a handful of NBA players have ever had over 100 steals and 100 blocks in the same season. Michael Jordan only did it twice. Wade will come close in just his 2nd season. The sky is the limit for Wade and is also where he does his best work. He also has over 100 dunks this season.

For my money he is the games most exciting players and one of the very few, who lifts fans and teammates, out of their seats, night after night. His vastly improved mid-range jump shot has gone from a weakness to an asset. His late game heroics, born in his very first playoff game last spring have been sharpened this season. Stan Van Gundy always puts the ball in Dwyane’s hands and he almost always comes thru.

Yet through it all he remains unselfish but is no longer flying under the radar. The basketball world is watching Wade and is collectively amazed and impressed.

Add the great Larry Bird to the list of admirers. The Hall-of-Fame Bird-Man, now the Indiana Pacers President of basketball operations recently paid his compliments in print.

“The thing I like most about him is his demeanor on the court”, said Bird.

“He just plays. We need more players like him in this league. He goes about his business. He competes every night. When you talk about super-stars on and off the court and coming to play every night, you’re not going to find anybody better”.

I am calling it the WOW factor; and With O’Neal and Wade, South Florida’s basketball dreams could come true. One more thing, expect them both to be their absolute best in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

As the regular season winds down and the Playoffs loom large, the Heat own the league’s second-best record. However, they could wind up second to none because of the Power of Two.