Shaquille O’Neal says they won’t let him rule.
That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.
The Miami Heat center, who pulled out a shoe phone in last season’s All-Star Game and did some high-stepping and even played the wing on a pick-and-roll in Sunday’s game, has been complaining that the NBA’s rules have inhibited him and geared the game to guards.
“They’re not getting rid of big men,” O’Neal says. “They’re getting rid of the dominant big man. It’s the Shaq Rule. Like front and back (allowing defenders to crowd a post player from both sides). It’s designed for me only.”
The result, whether it is the way O’Neal sees it or not, is one of the great offensive explosions in recent NBA history, one that was on display again Sunday as the guards were in control.
For the East All-Stars, it was LeBron James, who scored 29 points and took home MVP honors. Dwyane Wade scored 20, including the winning basket on a follow-up of an Allen Iverson miss. And for the West, it was Tracy McGrady, who scored 36 points and battled with James down the stretch.
“He’s the future of this game,” O’Neal said of James. “As well as this gentleman (Wade) sitting next to me. These guys are big time. I’ve got three sons and I go into their room and there’s no posters of me. There’s posters of D-Wade, T-Mac and LeBron. These guys are the future of the game, and I’m glad to be able to grow with these guys.”
Already this season, there have been 64 games with 40-point scorers, after 67 all last season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. NBA players have scored at least 50 or more points nine times this season. Bryant leads with 14 games of 40 or more points this season. Allen Iverson has 11, James and Gilbert Arenas have topped 40 points seven times each.
The scoring is a function, in large part, of rules changes in recent years that eliminated the so-called hand-checking on the perimeter and required so-called touch fouls be called more often on the perimeter. The result has been more freedom for guards, which many say is leading to high scoring averages with more free throws contributing.
Bryant, at 35 per game, has the second-highest scoring average at the All-Star break in the last 35 years. Bryant, Iverson and James all are over 30 per game, the first time since Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson in 1965-66 averaged more than 30 per game at the break. It has been 25 years since three players–George Gervin, Moses Malone and Adrian Dantley–finished the regular season averaging at least 30 points.
Guards Tony Parker, Wade and Iverson and small forwards Shawn Marion, James and Carmelo Anthony are among the league leaders in points in the paint. That suggests that a team might not need a big man unless he is truly dominant like Tim Duncan.
“We should get back to allowing more contact on the perimeter, because you can’t stop guys otherwise,” Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal said. “With the rules now, Michael [Jordan] would have scored 100.”
