The Miami Heat saw plenty of incredible teams over the years, but fans will always have a special place for the 2006 championship team in their heart. The team Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade led took down the Dallas Mavericks and was one of the most exciting teams to see in the league that season.
However, not everything was fine and dandy for the Heat during their championship run. While they did take down the Dallas Mavericks, it didn’t come as easy as they would have liked. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs won the first two games before Miami turned up the Heat and won the next four games.
Shaq, who most recently got flak for saying SGA deserves to win MVP this year, talked about what happened after Game 2 that allowed Wade to become the superstar everyone knows and loves.
Shaq shares NSFW conversation shared with Dwyane Wade that helped the Miami Heat win in 2006
O’Neal didnt have the best game for the Heat in Game 2. He finished the game with only five points on two made shots, making it obvious that he’s far from the superstar who was expected to carry the team that game.
Shaq revealed that he had a talk with Wade about him taking over. The Flash led the team that game with his 23 points, so it seemed natural for Shaq to ask his co-star to carry the torch.
Per Heat Nation’s Peter Dewey:
“In the Finals, we went down 0-2,” he said. “We had a respectful conversation. ‘Hey man, I’m gettin’ f—— double-teamed. I’m goin’ through a f—— divorce. I’m not playin’ good. What the f— you gonna do? Don’t be lookin’ for me. Motherf—–, go to work.’ And then he just turned it up, and that was how I was able to get No. 4 ’cause I was playin’ terrible.”
He also noted that Gary Payton and Udonis Haslem also helped get the message across:
“We had a respectful, hardcore conversation,” O’Neal said. “And me, G.P. and Udonis…we put him in a room, like, ‘Yo man, the f— you gonna do?’”
Since the talk, Wade put on an incredible performance that helped the Heat win the next four games. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 steals a game. Meanwhile, Shaq had 13.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.
Shaq will always be thankful to Wade for helping him get his fourth ring, and it’s obvious in how he talked about the matter that he’s happy his teammate stepped up.
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