“Come on Shaq!!! The Miami Heat haven’t been at full strength all year and they’re in the first place”: Dwyane Wade confronts former teammate Shaquille O’Neal for being biased towards the Nets and the Lakers

Akash Murty | 27/01/2022
“Come on Shaq!!! The Miami Heat haven’t been at full strength all year and they’re in the first place”: Dwyane Wade confronts former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for being biased towards the Nets and the Lakers

Experts call out the biasedness of the other expert all the time, this time it’s Dwyane Wade who has called out his former Heat teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

There are some teams that don’t get enough criticism for their bad performances compared to the praise they get for their good ones. The Brooklyn Nets have been one of those teams, and so are the Lakers.

Both teams were supposed to be the top teams in contention from each conference before the start of the season. While the Nets are 3rd in the East with a 29-18 record, they haven’t looked like a team who would present any challenge to the champions of the West. Well, it doesn’t even look like they could win the East without their Big 3.

Whereas, the LA team has been one of the worst teams in the NBA to watch lately. They have a 24-24 record and have struggled to find a winning streak since the start of the season. Their city counterpart, the LA Clippers even without Kawhi Leonard (since the start) or Paul George (around half of the season) are playing much better.

Also read: “I was practicing what to say to Kobe Bryant in the mirror”: Kyrie Irving revealed how nervous he was to challenge the Lakers legend to Kevin Durant

But still, the Lakers’ criticism is mostly Russell Westbrook or Frank Vogel-centric these days. More often than not, they are skipping criticism because they are missing Anthony Davis from the lineup for a long time. Former Lakers’ legend Shaquille O’Neal said the same on the subject.
“You can’t judge either of these teams (Lakers, Nets) because they’re not at full strength.”

Dwyane Wade pulls one on Shaquille O’Neal

It is rare to shut Shaq up on the sets on NBA on TNT, at least on Inside the NBA. But as the Brooklyn Nets took on the LA Lakers, the Diesel sat with Dwayne Wade, Candace Parker, and Adam Klefkoe for “NBA on TNT on Tuesdays”, his former teammate just did that.

Wade called out Shaq on his take quickly, “Shaq what does that mean? The Miami Heat haven’t been at full strength all year, and they’re in first place.”

O’Neal’s response, “that’s not my saying, Sir” is as defensive as one could make the Big Shamrock. The 2006 NBA champions, former Heat duo would be one heck of a panel for the younger generation of fans who aren’t much familiar with Charles Barkley or Kenny Smith.

Also read: “Austin Reaves saw the game through LeBron James’s eyes and experienced the matrix”: The Lakers’ rookie had his eye opening moment against James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets

D. Wade’s praise of the Miami Heat is just on point. The team, who just sneaked into the top spot in the East amid Chicago Bulls’ and Brooklyn Nets’ struggles recently, has played just 12 games with all their top stars in the line-up.


Having been ignored all year, after their last year’s early Playoffs exit, the Heat now has a 30-17 record, and they certainly are the contenders from the East much like the Nets, the Bucks, and the Bulls.

 

 

Post Edited By: Arjun Julka
Dwyane Wade LA Lakers Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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