The Shaq Revival

Ever since D-Wade busted his shoulder (~~and CRIED~~), Shaquille O'Neal has been playing out of his mind. Let's take a look at his exploits from the last three weeks, shall we?

Shaq has averaged 21 points and 10 boards since Wade went down. The Heat have won 5 of the 7 games they've played sans Wade, and they're riding a nice little winning streak of 4. Even more importantly, Miami has beaten 4 playoff-bound squads since the Wade injury. This has led me to the following conclusion: Shaquille O'Neal has the greatest on/off switch in the history of sports. Care to disagree?

I'm actually beginning to hope Wade has a rough time with rehab and decides to shut it down for the rest of the year, just to see how far O'Neal can take this team.

Is O'Neal capable of winning a playoff series, at the age of 35? Right now, the Heat are in the sixth spot, and I don't see them going any higher. Let's say they play the Wizards in the first round. Are you telling me they can't win that series? Who's going to guard the big fella? Also, with the Miami Heat playing the kind of defense they've shown themselves capable of ("Over the 10-game home streak, beginning with the victory over the Knicks, Miami has held visitors to 40.9 percent shooting"), does anyone want to see this team in April? Doubtful.