A shell of a Shaq

Dan Wetzel: Shaq's last shot?

DALLAS – When the Miami Heat actually get around to passing the ball to Shaquille O'Neal, not much happens. There is usually a quick double team, or a plodding post move that no longer scares anyone, or a hack that sends the big guy to the line for some further embarrassment.

Shaquille O'Neal, who's playing in his sixth NBA Finals appearance with his third team and trying to secure his legacy as one of the greatest of all time, is struggling mightily. It's a sign, perhaps, that he is officially a shell of his former dominating, domineering self.

This was supposed to be a career capper for O'Neal – his last best chance at another title – just two seasons after leaving Los Angeles and guaranteeing he would lift Miami to the top. But on Sunday, he spent the second half on the bench, brooding over another non-factor night (just five points on 2-for-5 shooting and a mere six rebounds) while the Heat went small in a futile comeback attempt.

Dallas, not surprisingly, cruised to a 99-85 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.

"Five shots is not what we want," said Dwyane Wade of Shaq's quiet night. "Playing 27 minutes, we want him to play more than that."

How to deal with O'Neal has been the most important tactical decision in the NBA since Michael Jordan's run in Chicago ended. Teams have attempted to deny the pass and used double teams. They've even tried to let him get his points and just contain everyone else. They've gone big and gone small, but they mostly wound up gone fishing.

But for years you were dealing with an O'Neal who was capable of a 30-point, 20-rebound steamroll effort night in and night out. That isn't Shaquille anymore. Occasionally, yes. But not every time.

Miami spent three days talking about getting the ball to O'Neal more often in Game 2 and then made some bad passes and failed to clear out to prevent simple doubles or get Shaq moving on a pick-and-roll. The Mavericks' game plan is to only double team when they can get there quickly. But the combination of their good positioning and the Heat's poor spacing means that happens nearly every time.

"I mean, they doubled him every single time he caught the ball," Miami coach Pat Riley said. That means the rest of the Heat are at fault there.

Miami does look for O'Neal, but he isn't strong enough to just barrel into prime scoring position they way he used to, and that means he is often forced to pass the ball out. From there, no teammate has consistently made Dallas pay from the perimeter.

"He can't be as dominant as he wants to be right now because his [teammates are] not playing as good as we should," said Wade, who was just 6-for-19 from the floor.

For his part, O'Neal did little defensively (Erick Dampier had 13 boards and Dirk Nowitzki sped by him around the rim) and he was again horrific from the line (1 of 7).

The entire thing was embarrassing, with one of the league's all-time greats hung out to dry for everyone to see in a sorry combination of bad individual play and poor team execution. O'Neal didn't speak to the media afterward (drawing a $10,000 fine for himself and a $25,000 fine for the Heat), but who could blame him? There wasn't much to say.

"He's frustrated," teammate Antoine Walker said. "He's a guy who likes to get involved in the game. They are doing a good job double-teaming him. Obviously, a couple passes in there got taken. It just ended up in that way, but Shaq's fine. He's a warrior.

"Hopefully, he stays with the guys on the floor."

He better. Because if a change of latitude doesn't bring a change of attitude in this series – it shifts to Miami on Tuesday – then the Heat are going to flame out in a hurry.

It's way too early to call the Finals over. (Detroit did nothing in the first two games at San Antonio last year and that series was in doubt until the final minutes of Game 7.) But Miami isn't turning this around without Shaq taking over in the middle.

Whether this is the series when his considerable ability finally falls off the table remains to be seen. But his worst playoff performance of his career may not be a coincidence. While Shaq claims, at age 34, that he is better with age ("It is more brains than brawn"), he just doesn't intimidate opponents the way he used to.

Especially when he is spending long swaths of the game on the bench after being passed over for quicker legs.

"It's crazy, you know, especially when he's not in foul trouble," Wade said. "You wonder why."

There wasn't any other choice. The Heat were better with Alonzo Mourning in the game.

For all the talk about stealing a game in Dallas by getting O'Neal to dominate from the inside out, it just wasn't happening. Shaq went to the bench, Miami got pushed closer to the brink and time is ticking for the Heat and their star to do something before it is too late.