Cavs 108 Raptors 100: James + Mo + Shaq= Win
January 20, 2010Shaquille O’Neal Wants Kobe and Carter to Join LeBron
January 20, 2010
By now, most of you are probably aware that in Tuesday night’s game against the Raptors Shaquille O’Neal became just the 5th player in NBA history to score 28,000 points in his career. This is no small accomplishment. Just look at the company he now keeps: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain. By all sound reasoning, the night should have been a night of joyous celebration for an icon of the sport. Instead, the milestone went by quietly into the night.
The reason this historic accomplishment went by so quietly is because of Shaq’s legacy as a journeyman who has a bad habit of burning bridges wherever he goes. Milestones on their own tend not to mean much beyond giving writers/analysts/talk show hosts something to talk/write about. What gives an event like this true meaning is when it represents a bond between players and fans.
There is always this giant wall between the two sides of sports, and only something unique or special allows us to truly cross that bridge. Modern advancements in technology, as well as the growth of social networking media, has allowed us to narrow this gap a bit, but it still exists. The players are the ones on the stage, and we are the spectators. The two sides, players and fans, each exist for the most part in their own separate bubbles. They each have different ways of viewing sport and its meaning in the grand scope of life. Fans think athletes don’t appreciate them and take them for granted, and athletes often feel the same way about fans. So when something truly special happens, it allows fans to outwardly show their appreciate in a way that breaks down this invisible barrier. It allows the players to feel the fans’ appreciation and it allows the player to demonstrate back to the fans that the feeling is mutual. It’s the nature of celebration.
I remember watching the Mavericks play the Lakers a couple weeks ago as Dirk Nowitzki surpassed the 20,000 point plateau. Even though it only placed him 33rd on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list (a far cry from #5), the Dallas fans immediately went absolutely nuts. They gave Dirk a rousing ovation and it took almost 20 minutes it seemed for the crowd to die down. Nowitzki acknowledged the crowd in return, and for one night, the game took on a celebratory vibe for everyone in the arena. Even when Zydrunas Ilgauskas set the Cavalier record for most career games played in a Cleveland uniform, the crowd inside The Q that evening would not be denied the chance to show their love to Big Z despite the fact Ilgauskas asked for there not to be a big deal made of it.
So I wondered what was going to happen Tuesday night when Shaq recorded that 28,000th point. I got my answer early on when 50 seconds into the game Shaq took a pass from LeBron and made a layup to surpass the milestone mark. I will fully admit that perhaps my viewpoint from TV land was skewed, but what I witnessed was not a joyous eruption of praise and celebration, but instead a polite, workmanlike round of applause.
In some ways, it’s a little sad. Shaq is a true legend of this sport. He has accomplished more in total than almost any other center. His combination of four Championships along with his status on the all time lists for points (5th), FG% (2nd), blocks (7th), playoff games played (4th), career PER (2nd), etc all show his lasting impact on the game of basketball. But yet, what is his identity? Which fanbase will always claim him as their own? He missed his prime in Cleveland and Phoenix and didn’t play long enough in either city to warrant adulation. He helped Miami win an NBA title, but the manner of his exit from South Beach left a sour taste there. He will always be somewhat despised in Orlando for bolting for LA right as he entered his prime. That basically leaves the Lakers, but now that Kobe Bryant has shown he can win a title without Shaq, it somehow feels like those 3 consecutive titles he and Shaq won together were just a mere blip in time that served as the launching pad for Kobe’s mercurial career in Los Angeles. Having played his entire career for the Lakers, it will likely always be Kobe who will live forever in the hearts and minds of Lakers fans while Shaq will be regarded with a nod of appreciation for playing his part, but little more.
If Shaquille O’Neal can help bring an NBA Championship to the city of Cleveland, the fans here will always hold a special place for him, just as they will with every single player on this team who contributes to the title. But he will never be remembered as being “our guy”. He will always be the guy brought in to help “our real guy” win a title and to help convince “our guy” to stay in “our town”.
And as I thought about this, I wondered if LeBron would someday be sharing a similar fate. Like a wandering Moses in the desert, regarded for his greatness and accomplishments, but ultimately a nomad without a home. In a recent article, Bill Simmons pointed out that “only four times has an NBA superstar switched teams in his prime – Wilt (twice), Kareem and Shaq”. While everyone acknowledges the greatness of those players, only Kareem is fully revered by a fanbase. Not that LeBron is in this thing for adulation, but I hope it’s at least in the back of his mind as he ponders his future. In Cleveland, he has a chance to do something truly unique and make a lasting impression of prodigious greatness. He can be something more in Cleveland than he ever can be anywhere else in the NBA. For any other team and to any other fanbase, he will always be a hired gun. Sure, like Kareem he could stick in one spot after making his move and go on to be loved by a certain fanbase in other cities, but I can assure that wherever he might go, it will never be the quite the same as it will be right here at home.
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24 Comments
Great piece. I noticed the same thing about how it wasn’t as big of a deal for Shaq’s milestone as it was for Dirk’s. I hope Lebron takes his legacy into account.
I can’t get enough of that Simmons piece…
Great, great post. I’ve also talked about this a lot, also referencing Simmons’s point about being traded. You brought up Dirk, but in my mind a great player comparison for Shaq, especially on many of the “Best of the Decade” lists, is Tim Duncan, who is nearly the exact opposite of Shaq in this respect. The Spurs essentially formed the team around Duncan, and he made an otherwise nondescript city into a veritable basketball empire with his legendary defense, work ethic, efficiency, and consistency. Though Shaq somehow finished ahead of Duncan on many lists (though Simmons, Kelly Dwyer, and Kevin Pelton all had Duncan ahead), this point about Shaq essentially being a basketball nomad versus Duncan growing to embody San Antonio Spurs basketball makes Duncan a more important and better player.
While everything you said is more or less true, I honestly don’t think its a big deal. Shaq doesn’t belong to any particular team but he still has a huge personal fan base. For all of his [ediited], shaq remains a beloved figure.
When I read the title, I swear I heard the intonation of a bent harmonica note.
Great piece, and I loved how you delved into the dynamic b/t fans and players and how the wall is broken during those outlying moments of emotional or momentus significance.
*Obviously*, I want Lebron to stay…but consider this point. For a creative spirit like Shaq, each move to a new city has offered an opportunity for renewal and reinvention of his persona. Would he have been happy staying his whole career in Orlando? I doubt the city could have held him.
Lebron seems to have a very different disposition than Shaq, but how could we begrudge him if he too wanted to explore the reinvention of his own persona in a new city? That isn’t a critique of Cleveland, b/c even Shaq felt the need to leave “A-list” cities like LA and Miami. It’s more a nod to our basic nature as creatures that are always in flux.
Great piece. One of the best I’ve read in a while.
I hope everyone reads that simmons article. He’s been on the “LeBron is leaving” bandwagon since day one and finally FINALLY acknowledge he might not leave.
Good article, I hope LeBron considers this (assuming he’s contemplating leaving which I don’t personally believe)… Do you want to have a fan base and a team, or do you want to just be a name?
I have always enjoyed Bill Simmons’ articles. I think he has one of the better nba minds around (proved by his 600+ page book). But the article he posted today gave me chills. He is spot on about everything Lebron. From how he isn’t obsessed with winning like Kobe and Jordan, to how he is able to flip on the Jordan/Magic switch seemingly every night. But, what he is most accurate about is what Lebron means to the city. I mean is there any athlete that means more to a franchise and a city then Lebron? Not a chance. If he leaves for another team I can’t see the Cavs recovering for the next 10-20 years. But more importantly his departure would suck the life out of city that has seen more than its fair shares of struggle recently. Lebron is Cleveland; no other team would appreciate him half of what we do in cleveland.
Johnny Cash would be proud of this title.
Very well done Andrew.
Great article, as is the Simmons piece. I gained some real perspective today on the careers of those two players thanks to these articles.
Funny you name drop Moses, and then leave him off your/Simmons’ list of superstars that changed teams. As Simmons calls Bron’s lack of a post game, that was the only blemish in an otherwise impeccable article.
I liked this article better than Simmons’. Great perspective on Shaq’s legacy, and how he has at least smudged it (‘tarnished’ sounds too negative) with his journeyhood (that’s not a word, is that?). I also hope, and expect, LBJ to consider this when making his decision this summer. You can always and forever be “our guy,” LeBron. Please, just sign on the dotted line.
@Denny: I’ve been everywhere, man.
@JNeids: Simmons has Moses in the article now. I’m sure some intern had to scramble to catch that.
I disagree entirely with the premise of this article. Just because Shaq will never have a fanbase that will scramble to his defense every time he is criticized, or will gloss over his weaknesses, that doesn’t diminish his accomplishments as a player. If nothing else, it just goes to show that perception creates a legacy as much as actual production in sports.
And perceptions constantly change with time. Taking a snapshot at a moment in time is a terrible way to evaluate anyone’s legacy.
As for the reaction last night, I’m pretty sure that 28,000 is pretty meaningless as a number. Elite NBA players score over 2000 points a year; are we supposed to celebrate twice a year when LeBron adds another K to his point total?
The 28,000 point milestone is hardly meaningless. It’s a threshold only 5 players have ever achieved. That’s like saying the 700 HR mark in baseball is meaningless. Or even the 600 HR mark, for that matter.
@ Andrew – true, but it’s completely arbitrary. Once Shaq became the 5th-highest scorer all-time, any point total he reaches that’s listed about player #6 will make him the ‘fifth all-time to hit X # of points”.
I agree that it’s a milestone, but so is 27,998.
Guys don’t hit 200 home runs per season. This is the equivalent of celebrating every time Bonds hit another 15 HRs.
I’m going to celebrate when Shaq gets to 7000h points.
“I mean is there any athlete that means more to a franchise and a city then Lebron?”
peyton manning.
that’s a .500 team at best without him. and we’re talking football, the ultimate team sport. i’ve never really seen a one man show in football in my lifetime. maybe barry sanders but his teams were never really that great (did carry them to an nfc ‘chip game) and maybe jim brown (wasn’t alive for that era) but peyton manning means just as much to indianapolis as lbj means to cleveland.
although the one difference is, if you take manning away, the colts survive. eventually, it’s the nfl. if lbj leaves, the cavs are screwed.
@Denny: Yeah, but we always celebrate round numbers. 28,000 is the first round number after you reach #5 on the list. It’s only natural to celebrate at 28,000 and I promise you that if LeBron gets there as a Cavalier, it WILL be celebrated.
@Mike: 200 HRs is 29% of 700. 2000 points is only 7% of 28,000. People aren’t celebrating after every 2000 points. They typically celebrate the 10,000 point, 20,000 point, and 30,000 point levels. The reason 28,000 is celebrated is because it’s the first round number after you reach #5 on the list.
@ Andrew – BUT WHEN LEBRON REACHES 28,000 HE’LL BE THE 7TH PERSON NOT THE 5TH!!! (I assume Kobe will get there first) – I knew what your argument would be, and yes I understand the placed significance of round numbers, but isn’t it more or less the same celebration as when he passed Moses Malone? Are we going to ‘celebrate’ 29k if he gets there, or do we just hold off until 30k? It’s just wishy-washy, that’s all.
Does Shaq consider coming back for a couple years (at a much lower price, of course), or is he gone/retired after this one? The Cavaliers could use him still over the next couple seasons…
This comment is brought to you by Eddie Murray’s 3000th hit.
great article, but i agree that at this point 28 000 is NOT a real milestone. plus the bonding in those moment is created by the buzz surrounding the milestone. and quite frankly, we didnt hear a lot about this one.
If leBron stays, i think that the love of his fanbase will only grow, and if the cavs win a championship….
Yes, Shaq is a nomad.
That’s why the ENTIRE NBA fanbase love him and not just a specific team’s fanbase. Those NBA fans follow him wherever he goes and support him all the way.
I admit I’m one of them. It’s his charisma and funny persona that endears many to him and coupled with his on-court achievements.