2010-11 NBA Season Preview - Season Opener (Part 3 of 3)

(Continued from Part 2)

6) Chris Bosh vs. Shaquille O'Neal
After the game on February 27, 2009 in which Shaquille O'Neal shot 20 of 25 and scored 45 points on the Toronto Raptors, Chris Bosh said ...

"[Shaq] was just camping down in the lane. I mean, if [the referees] are not calling three seconds — I thought it was a rule, but I guess not."

Then 2 days later, as expected, Shaq responded in the Arizona Republic ...

"I heard what Chris Bosh said, and that’s strong words coming from the RuPaul of big men. I'm going to do the same thing (in their next meeting) I did before - make him quit. Make 'em quit and complain. It's what I do."

Chris Bosh, of course, didn't find the RuPaul joke funny, and told the Toronto Sun ...

"I didn't laugh or anything. It wasn't funny. I was kind of upset with that. [Shaq] has been around the league for awhile and I expected a lot more professionalism out of him. I thought we were cool. Whatever. I won't get into a war of words. He's not my friend. I don't really know him. I don't care about that stuff. It's done."

Since then, Chris Bosh has refused to play center again ...

7) Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Shaquille O'Neal
I think Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a real professional in the NBA. He basically agreed to come off the bench and play behind Shaquille O'Neal the minute when he heard about the trade that would bring Shaq to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But who knows whether he was happy about it or not? If you did pay attention last season, he was the one playing, not Shaq, when the game was on the line for the Cavaliers ...

8a) LeBron James vs. Shaquille O'Neal
8b) Dwyane Wade vs. Jermaine O'Neal
8c) Chris Bosh vs. Jermaine O'Neal
I'm sure the 2 O'Neals will be more than ready on the opening night to prove that they weren't the weakest links in the 3 fail experiments. Before they have a chance to do so, I found an interesting article here. I don't know how the guy came up with the numbers below, but they sure told part, if not all, of the story ...

LeBron James	With Shaq	Without Shaq
2-Point FG%	54.37%	56.25%
3-Point FG%	34.57%	35.11%
Free Throw %	67.02%	80.56%
Free Throw Rate	21.71%	42.08%
Assist Rate	27.48%	29.02%
Turnover Rate	14.55%	12.14%
Rebound Rate	9.08%	9.90%
Off. Rebound Rate	2.85%	4.28%
Def. Rebound Rate	17.64%	19.52%

2010-11 NBA Season Preview - Season Opener (Part 2 of 3)

( Continued from Part 1 )

4) Miami Heat vs. Shaquille O'Neal
When Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns back in 2008, he became Public Enemy #1 in South Beach after making these comments ...

"I love playing for [Mike D'Antoni] and I love playing with these guys (Grant Hill and Steve Nash). [The Suns] have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'm actually on a team again."

"Of course it was a very tough time for me personally in Miami. [The Heat] tried to use everything as an excuse. [The Heat's medical staff] couldn't figure out what the pain (of his hip injury) was, so it had to be something with me. 'Oh, he's too old.' 'He's getting divorced.' 'He doesn't want to play.' It was none of those things. [The Suns' medical staff] are taking care of me here. I'm feeling better every day. And everybody's going to see they were wrong about me."

"I don't give a [expletive] what [Heat President Pat Riley] is disappointed in. Sue me."

Just when you think LeBron James really wants to beat the Boston Celtics, think again. The main reason that Shaq signed the veteran minimum of $1.4 million per season to join the Celtics is to crush, kill and destroy the Miami Heat, and vice versa. He will get his wish on the opening night ...

5) Dwyane Wade vs. Shaquille O'Neal
About 2 months after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns, the Miami Herald had this story ...

... Stories of [Shaq's] disinterested behavior in practice and him making negative comments about teammates while on the bench during games (yes, even comments about Dwyane Wade) were circulating before his exit ...

Then on March 4, 2009, Shaq finally made his first visit back to the Miami's AmericanAirline Arena when the Phoenix Suns played the Heat that night. After the game, the Miami Herald had yet another story ...

... Wade has continuously stated that the relationship between [Shaq and himself] has died down some since O'Neal was traded to Phoenix last year. And he said twice before Wednesday's game that his grandmother taught him to forgive but not forget ...

Translation: Dwyane Wade still remembers Shaq calling him "Wonder Boy" in their final season playing together ...

( Continued in Part 3 )

2010-11 NBA Season Preview - Season Opener (Part 1 of 3)

The 2010-11 NBA season will begin on Tuesday, October 26. If you still haven't circled this date on your calendar, do it right now. In the season opener, the Miami Heat will play the Celtics at Boston's TD Garden at 7:30pm EDT ...

source:espn.com

That night, all eyes will be on the Miami Heat as they are the odds on favorites to win the 2010-11 NBA championship. But what makes it a great season opener are the past and present rivalries that are playing in the game ...

1) Miami's Big 3 vs. Boston's Big 3
When Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics in 2007, they won an NBA title in just their first season playing together. Will LeBron James and Chris Bosh do the same? Can Boston's aging Big 3 keep up with Miami's Big 3 who are in their prime? We'll find out ...

2) Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Everyone knows about the Big 3s from both teams. But what about their supporting casts? The Miami Heat not only completed the signing of the Big 3 this summer, but also signed Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Eddie House and Carlos Arroyo who all are still good enough to start for some NBA teams. It will be interesting to see if the Miami Heat could get their revenge on the Boston Celtics who knocked them out the playoffs last season ...

3) LeBron James vs. Boston Celtics
Speaking of revenge, LeBron James would like to get one on the Boston Celtics also. Even though LeBron James and his then Cleveland Cavaliers were able to split the season series against the Celtics in each of the past 3 seasons, he and his team did end up going out of the playoffs twice during those 3 seasons at the hands of the Boston Celtics ...

( Continued in Part 2 )

2010-11 NBA Season Preview - Boston Celtics

The new look 2010-11 Boston Celtics

Starter / Bench:
PG - Rajon Rondo / Nate Robinson
SG - Ray Allen / Von Wafer
SF - Paul Pierce / Marquis Daniels
PF - Kevin Garnett / Glen Davis
C - Jermaine O'Neal / Shaquille O'Neal / Kendrick Perkins

source:espn.com

2009-10 regular season: 50-32 (4th in East)
2009-10 playoffs: NBA Finals

Players out: Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen and Shelden Williams
Players in: Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal and Von Wafer

(They have added 2 All-Star centers this offseason to give themselves 2 more shots at another NBA title ...)

My 2010-11 season prediction: 54-28 (3rd in East)

2010-11 NBA Season Preview - Game Schedule

The NBA has released the schedule for the coming season's nationally televised games played on the opening week, Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The remainder of the schedule will be released on August 10 ...

Date	Time (EDT)	Matchup	Network
Oct. 26	7:30 pm	Heat at Celtics	TNT
Oct. 26	10:30 pm	Rockets at Lakers	TNT
Oct. 27	8:00 pm	Bulls at Thunder	ESPN
Oct. 27	10:30 pm	Blazers at Clippers	ESPN
Oct. 28	8:00 pm	Wizards at Magic	TNT
Oct. 28	10:30 pm	Suns at Jazz	TNT
Oct. 29	8:00 pm	Magic at Heat	ESPN
Oct. 29	10:30 pm	Lakers at Suns	ESPN
Oct. 30	8:30 pm	Nuggets at Rockets	NBATV
Oct. 31	7:00 pm	Jazz at Thunder	NBATV
Nov. 1	8:00 pm	Blazers at Bulls	NBATV
Dec. 25	Noon	Bulls at Knicks	ESPN
Dec. 25	2:30 pm	Celtics at Magic	ABC
Dec. 25	5:00 pm	Heat at Lakers	ABC
Dec. 25	8:00 pm	Nuggets at Thunder	ESPN
Dec. 25	10:30 pm	Blazers at Warriors	ESPN
Jan. 17	1:00 pm	Bulls at Grizzlies	ESPN
Jan. 17	4:00 pm	Kings at Hawks	NBATV
Jan. 17	8:00 pm	Magic at Celtics	TNT
Jan. 17	10:30 pm	Thunder at Lakers	TNT

source:nike.com

But NBA fans will not have to wait long before watching some NBA players in action. This year the inaugural World Basketball Festival will be held on August 12-15 in New York City. Do not miss the huge double-header on August 15 when the United States hosting France at 1:00 pm EDT and China playing Puerto Rico at 3:30 pm EDT ...

Another Bad Move For LeBron James and His Crew

It was really nice when ex-Cleveland Cavalier Zydrunas Ilgauskas took out a 1-page advertisement in Sunday's Plain Dealer in Cleveland thanking the city of Cleveland and Cavaliers fans for their 14 years of support ...

source:cleveland.com

Then a day later, copycat LeBron James placed a similar 1-page advertisement in Beacon-Journal in Akron thanking the city of Akron for their support through the years ...

---

To My Family, Friends and Fans in Akron:

For all my life, I have lived in Akron -- and for that, I am truly a lucky man.

It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.

Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It's where I started, and it's where I will always come back to.

You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.

---

Of course, LeBron James received a totally different reaction from the general public compared to Zydrunas Ilgauskas. If copying Big Z's idea wasn't bad enough, in his full-page advertisement, he did not mention anything about the city of Cleveland or the Cleveland Cavaliers ...

I'm not going to hit a man when he's already down. But why did he place a 1-page advertisement if it wasn't for the city of Cleveland? He left the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, not the city of Akron. And why did he pick such a bad time (1 day after Big Z's ad) to do it? I really don't get it ...