BRICK SHACK :

The Inevitable Question: Is Shaq the Best? (Thomas Boswell, June 12, 2002, washingtonpost.com)

On the eve of the fourth, and perhaps final game of the NBA Finals, one question floats naturally to mind. With all that he has accomplished in the last three years, with all the improvement he has shown throughout his 10 NBA seasons, how close is Shaquille O'Neal to being the greatest center in basketball history?

In the series with the Kings, Shaq's bad toe had him moving so poorly that it looked like the Lakers were ripe to be knocked off, particularly by a team like the Nets with some big guys who can run. But the toe improved and Shaq started moving better and here's the stunning thing : because of his health problems he's playing right now at between 360 and 380 pounds. No one, ever, has combined that size with his relative speed (basketball center speed). He's Goliath and David--the biggest guy and the best weapon. Dayenu. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 12, 2002 9:08 AM