its not uncommon that a an elite well coached team losses its best player but still has the system in place where guys step in and win anyway. Especially against an inexperienced team like Wash. If they were playing the Spurs or Detroit it would've been a different story

Posted by TMS:

w/o a healthy Shaq, the Heat aren't winning a championship imo...on the contrary, i think they could win a title w/o Wade as long as they still had a healthy Shaq, though it would be very tough...to me, that means that Shaq is their MVP.

that doesn't mean i don't consider Wade an up & coming superstar in his own right...i'd take him over any other young player in the league other than Lebron & Amare.

I agree with everything you said. I would take Wade over Bosh but not over Lebron and Amare.

Miami wouldn't win a championship without Wade. But without Shaq they wouldn't have a chance over the Spurs and Detroit. Shaq could win with a player a level down from Wade like a Sprewell or Finley but conversely Wade would not win with a Webber or Jamison He would need Shaq, Duncan or Garnett

if the Heat went up against the Spurs w/a healthy Shaq & they didn't have Wade, i still think they could win that series as long as Eddie Jones & Damon Jones shot the ball well & Haslem was somewhat of a factor w/his athleticism & Zo contributed some shotblocking & rebounding...they have enough depth to match up well w/SA...but w/o Shaq, i don't care how good Wade is in that series, i don't see the Heat beating the Spurs w/Tim Duncan, Tony Parker & Manu Ginobili unless something crazy happened like Zo were to be the Zo of old for that series.

Shaq and Duncan are the two most dominant players in the league as far as changing the game. I think Shaq has fallen down to Duncan's level now, but that's still a higher level than anyone else in the league can touch.

With Shaq and Wade 100%. Heat still won't beat Spurs or Pistons.

without a doubt, shaq is the heat's mvp. but the real question is wade better than lebron..... yes, and in some ways wade is better than lebron. wade can take over a game, go jugular and make his points count....lebron aint quite there. while both players represent the future of the next generation nba, wade gets his players more involved compared to lebron. just a few nights ago wade had something like 7 assist in the first 12 minutes of play. anyone watching wade last year while lebron was watching wade on the tv in the playoffs, knew that only in a matter of time would wade be the man. during this year playoff run, wade stats are in remarkable company of only 2 other great players:

the big "o" and magic!

Posted by Marv:

Bonn "SNITMEISTER" 1997

Reading his post with a kind of nasel tone would be one way replicating his persona. While he claims to be nano-stud, to which I believe, somehow this is how he reads visually. Francis, teen woolf side kick, Priceless! Good Job Marv!