A commentator working a Lakers game last year mentioned how mild-tempered Shaquille O’Neal is. However, he also talked about how Shaq could do some serious damage to someone if he got in a fight. He then mentioned how hard O’Neal is fouled on occasion (i.e. every time he gets the ball), and observed that it’s amazing more fights don’t occur.
Well, Shaq changed that view of himself real quickly after attacking the Chicago Bulls’ Brad Miller last Saturday.
Shaq was turning in the key to attempt a shot. As he turned, both Miller and Charles Oakley fouled O’Neal hard, bringing their arms down on O’Neal’s head. As Miller was walking away, Shaq went after him from behind, taking a swing at him and then choking Miller with his jersey.
Both Miller and Oakley were charged with flagrant fouls. Shaq was ejected for retaliating by throwing a punch.
I don’t claim that O’Neal going after another player is funny. I actually take it quite seriously. I am a strong advocate of good sportsmanship, and these actions were stupid.
It isn’t necessarily the fact that O’Neal was fighting which was comical?it was the way he did it.
Did you ever think you could say a 7-foot, 340-pound professional athlete hits like he was in a cat-fight? Well, he did. The punch he threw involved his entire rotator cuff motion of his shoulder, making it a circular motion. Us folk at The Chronicle watched the replay of that several times, laughing each time.
The only way someone could have gotten hurt from that punch would be from Shaq pulling a muscle in his rotator cuff.
You would think someone as large and muscular as O’Neal could scare off Mike Tyson, not make him laugh. Not only did Shaq throw the sorriest punch I’ve seen in a while, he didn’t even land it. His punches apparently have the same accuracy as his free throws. He missed Miller from two feet away. Some argue that O’Neal intentionally missed. Maybe that would be an explanation for it being so ugly.
The ESPN commentators said Miller was lucky for that. They said he would “still be asleep” if that punch were landed. Judging by the way it was thrown, I wouldn’t qualify it as a knock-out punch. I think Miller would have felt something hit his back and nothing else.
I do not call myself a boxing expert. I haven’t studied boxing in-depth. I have never boxed anyone for rounds at a time. The only boxing I’ve seen was on television, and the occasional school-yard brawl in high school. The five “Rocky” movies are probably the extent of my boxing knowledge.
However, I don’t think you’ll ever see Sylvester Stallone asking Shaq about his technique for the next “Rocky” sequel.
It looked like the cat-fight that Beavis and Butthead used to get into on their show. That was designed to make people laugh. Shaq was successful in getting us to laugh.
The NBA had a suspension- and fine-fest after the fact. O’Neal was suspended for three games without pay and fined $15,000. Miller was fined $7,500 and suspended for one game. Oakley was also suspended for two games and fined $10,000. Oakley’s latest incident gave him six flagrant foul points?one over the limit?which carries an extra game suspension, which is why he was suspended for two games.
The NBA came down harder on O’Neal because he instigated the fight, although he was fouled flagrantly.
A writer for the L.A. Times argues for stiffer penalties when someone fouls O’Neal. Even the NBA referees admitted to the L.A. Times that it is very difficult to officiate Shaq. “We really can’t get into the judgment of it all,” said Dan Crawford, the lead official of Saturday night’s three-man crew. “Very difficult man to referee, though. I can tell you that.”
Shaq should take it as a compliment that every time he gets the ball, he gets fouled. It shows that anyone who guards can’t stop him from scoring. No one else in the league, even Michael Jordan, can say that. Perhaps that is due to the fact that Jordan shoots better than 50 percent from the foul line, but even still, it is a compliment.
Should there be special rules regarding Shaquille O’Neal? Every player should be treated equally. There is no question about that. But Shaq’s situation might get the wheels turning. An intentional foul rule could be used like in high school and the NCAA. That might remedy the situation.
But the best remedy lies within Shaq. Shoot 80 percent from the foul line, and they’re not going to foul you as often. Look at Karl Malone?he went from a 50 percent free throw shooter his first year in the league, to a near 80 percent free throw shooter. Defenders have stopped fouling him and tried to play him straight up.
All-in-all, O’Neal’s fight was an eye-opener for the league and players. But is also served me with a good, old laugh.
Lance welcomes feedback at: [email protected].