Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Hey LA, hey LA! Shaq is back. He's lighter, quieter, and not quite at full power, but he's back, he's ready, and he's probably playing tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. With Shaq back, and even Christian Laettner returning to practice, health is rearing its pretty head, and Miami can still make a run at the overall best record in the league.
The Heat just need to win two games to match San Antonio's record, and then they would be just a game and a half behind the league-leading Phoenix Suns. If the Heat win three and the Suns drop two, they would have the exact same record.
With Miami scheduled to play Philadelphia and Boston, and Indiana and Charlotte, and finally Orlando, they have a good chance of going 5-0 to end the season on a high note. They would no longer be "under-rated" as they recently were with their two-game losing skid, but what are you gonna do.
NEXT GAME
The Heat (56-21, first in the Southeast) travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers (39-38, second in the Atlantic) TONIGHT. The game starts at 8:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
The Heat have clinched the Southeast divisional title and the Eastern Conference title. Congratulations Miami!
Do you think you know everything about the Heat? Would you consider yourself an expert on everything from Keith Askins to Wang Zhi-Zhi? What about Burnie, the HEAT Dancers or the Xtreme Team? What do you know about this season, Shaq, Dwyane or Udonis? If you’re a know it all, then prove it. Enter the Heat Trivia Engine Contestand compete with other fans for fame and prizes! You can win autographed memorabilia from this year's amazing run!
INJURY UPDATE
Christian Laettner(foot),Rasual Butler(knee), andDorell Wright(knee) are on the injured list.Shaquille O'Neal(virus) is still recovering but should be ready to go on Thursday.
Larry Stewart ofThe LA Timeswrites: It hurts to laugh: Shaquille O'Neal is expected to play for the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Philadelphia after missing three games because of a stomach problem. Leno may have hit on what the problem was. "I think it's from being doubled up so much laughing at the Lakers," he said.
Stephen F. Holder ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Heat forward Christian Laettner, whose absence has created problems in Miami's rotation since he was sidelined with a foot injury in late March, returned to practice Tuesday.Laettner, who has suffered from a bad case of plantar fasciitis, hasn't played since March 19 but could be activated as early as Thursday, when Miami plays at Philadelphia.
Russ Evans ofThe Broward New Timeswrites: The Miami Heat has already wrapped up home-court advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs. Coach Stan Van Gundy will now instruct Shaq, D. Wade, and company to set their sights on best record in all the land, as nothing would be finer than four games at the Triple A during the NBA finals. This last week will also give the Diesel one final five-game window in which to make a push toward his second career MVP award.
Linda Robertson ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Shaquille O'Neal spoke for the first time Wednesday about his past week of misery in the bathroom and in bed. ''A lot of sweating, a lot of diarrhea,'' which subtracted seven pounds from his 7-1 body, he said. He used a graphic Shaqism and referred to the toilet. Superman on the can? ''Must mean I'm human after all,'' he said.