Here's a Promise: Miami Heat to Win NBA Championship

I'm a Los Angeles native and diehard Lakers fan. My earliest memories of existence are from the greatest decade of basketball, the Showtime era. As my dad cradled me late at night in his arms, the jello-jiggly-jingo of Chick Hearns (gosh I miss him) bringing to life no-look passes and slam dunks lulled me to sleep. With that said, I have a confession to make. I jumped on the Miami Heat bandwagon as soon as Shaquille O'Neal was on his way back to Florida. Though I will always have a soft-spot in my heart for the Lakers, let's face it: the post-Bryant takeover era will bring no more championships to the City of Angels. Nowadays my eyes are pointed towards Miami as I expect the Diesel to bring a championship to his new home this summer.

I've got two names for you: Superman and Flash. Shaq O'Neal and Dwayne Wade. I know that the tandem of Shaq and Kobe was not enough to stop the Detroit Pistons from steamrolling the Lakers in the NBA Finals. But head-to-head these pairs aren't even close.

Los Angeles: Please. Last year Shaq was mailing it in (no offense to Karl Malone) for the Lakers. How many pounds was he overweight? Forty? Fifty? I think he might have been pregnant last year. Not to mention he had to share a team with someone he genuinely did not like. Bad karma on the court brought out a Shaq who was hungry for food and little else. Kobe may be a better player than Dwayne but that actually hurt the Lakers last year. He took way too many shots and tried to do everything by himself. Too bad he couldn't do a thing against the freakishly long arms of Tayshaun Prince, aka Mr. Fantastic, aka the real Kobe-stopper.

Miami:
This year's Shaq is in trim, fighting shape. His averages are way up from last year. He's having fun and likes Dwayne Wade. Plus, he's hungry to avenge the Detroit spanking from last year. Hungry Shaq = Unstoppable Shaq. Slap some green paint and purple pants on him and tell Ang Lee to bring his camera because we're gonna see a real Hulk during the playoffs. This year's sidekick, Dwayne Wade, complements Shaq perfectly. Unlike Kobe, he doesn't need the ball to be a force on the court. He is a more unselfish player and is quite capable of putting up a triple double everynight. Plus, D-Wade is clutch as well. He hit a couple game winning shots this year and single-handedly carried the Heat when Shaq was out.

When the Heat take on Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals it will be a sight to behold. Detroit plays ultra-physical defense with a well-rounded team where every member knows his role. There's no better X's and O's coach than Larry Brown. And they're the defending champs. Since punking the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe last year in the NBA championships, the Pistons look to supply a similar smackdown on the Heat. Right?

Well...no. Like I mentioned before, Shaq suffered defeat at their hands last year. Think he won't be extra-motivated to do some damage on the inside? He pretty much has his way against the Pistons; last year he just lacked support from his team. This year, he made a promise to the Miami fans that he'd bring a championship home and as far as I know, no one is [enter your own adjective here] enough to call Shaq a liar. In addition, the Heat offer a better supporting cast than last year's Lakers. He's got shooters that can actually hit a jump shot in Damon and Eddie Jones. Udonis Haslem brings a tremendous amount of hard work and effort to capitalize on all the attention that Shaq will attract. With the capable Alonzo Mourning coming off the bench to spell Shaq, this year's Heat would have taken last year's Lakers to school.

It won't be easy, but the Heat are capable of getting past the Pistons. With the defending champs their only real challenge, the Miami Heat look primed to burn whoever comes out of the West and take home that big golden trophy.

If you don't believe me then you're calling the Daddy a liar. And I'm telling.