HoopWatch

When former Laker Shaquille O’Neal left Los Angeles for Miami, his well-publicized feud with Kobe Bryant has been made an ultimate attraction for the NBA; such that, it has become a tradition that the Lakers should meet the Heat of Miami on a Christmas Day showdown. This will be the third year that they will do so.

But this year will be different. Since Shaq and Kobe had mend their misunderstanding last January of last year, plus the fact that Shaq has been out for the whole season except for four games, the attention has now shifted to the two superstar guards of this league. Bryant and Dwyane Wade should draw the attention this time, with Shaq watching from the sidelines. (It should be noted that both won titles with Shaq).

The Heat and the Lakers have met five times since the big trade, and Miami has won three. It’s now up to Kobe to even the match-up. Bryant has averaged 33.8 points against the Heat, while Wade averages only 23.6 against the Lakers.

However, this season will be a different story. The Lakers have been having much success when they share the ball. Bryant is just averaging 27.8 points this year, and the Tinseltown boys are 11-4 when Bryant scores below 25 points. Even impressive, they are 9-2 when Kobe has 6 assists or more.

In contrast, the Heat are 4-11 when D-Wade scores less than 30 points. He has been carrying the scoring load with Shaq sidelined.

What does this tell us? The whole Laker team should be involved for them to have a bigger chance to win, and Wade has to be more than “Flash” for them to emerge the victor. Hell, he has to be “Superman.”

Currently, Miami is at 12-14, while L.A. is 18-9, just 2 ½ games behind the league-leading San Antonio Spurs. (pics courtesy of yahoonba)