| Shaquille O'Neal returns to Heat lineup |
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| Written by Martin Gitlin | |||||||
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Thursday, 25 January 2007
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 Miami Heat Center Shaquille O'Neal is back. But even with him, are the Miami Heat still worthy defending NBA champions?That's the question some are asking after they fell four games under .500 by blowing a 20-point lead in the second half of a 96-94 loss Wednesday night at Indiana. Center Shaquille O'Neal returned to the lineup for the first time in 35 games following knee surgery. He played just 14 minutes and managed five points and five rebounds. "It's good to be out there with the guys, but obviously there's a lot of rust," O'Neal told the Associated Press. "The rust will wear off, and I'll get my rhythm back." Bet on the Miami Heat at WagerWeb.com and receive a 30% bonus! Critics claim advancing age and knee surgery will prevent O'Neal from being anything more than a shadow of his former dominance. That wouldn't bring complaints from the rest of the wide open and weak Eastern Conference, which is now led by Detroit at just eight games over .500. Wild, Wild Night: Four overtimes, two huge road upsets and 10 of 11 games decided by eight points or less. That was the NBA on Wednesday night. Click here for Live NBA Point Spreads Both stunners went the extra period. It took two overtimes for lowly Philadelphia to bump off slumping Cleveland, 118-115, as A.I. (Andre Igoudala) scored a career-high 34 points. The blossoming Igoudala is averaging 20 points a game since Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. Bet on the Miami Heat at WagerWeb.com and receive a 30% bonus! Meanwhile, equally weak Memphis stormed into Utah and stormed out with a 132-130 overtime victory behind a brilliant performance off the bench by Chucky Atkins (29 points, 15 assists). Carlos Boozer hit 18 of 24 shots and registered 38 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, but to no avail. The Phoenix Suns? They must be invulnerable to an upset. New York gave it a shot Wednesday night, but fell, 112-107. The Suns have now won 15 consecutive games for the second time this season. Thursday Biggie: Question: How can one team win 15 games in a row twice and still not own the best record in the NBA? Answer: When the other team has won 21 of 22 and 35 of 39. That team, of course, is Dallas. The Mavericks should be tested Thursday night, however, in Chicago, where they are 5-point favorites, according to WagerWeb.com.                        |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 January 2007 ) | |||||||