Shaquille O'Neal recalls epic heated interaction with Dwyane Wade during 2006 NBA Finals

O’Neal didnt have the best game for the Heat in Game 2. He finished the game with only five points on two made shots, making it obvious that he’s far from the superstar who was expected to carry the team that game.

Shaq revealed that he had a talk with Wade about him taking over. The Flash led the team that game with his 23 points, so it seemed natural for Shaq to ask his co-star to carry the torch.

Per Heat Nation’s Peter Dewey:

“In the Finals, we went down 0-2,” he said. “We had a respectful conversation. ‘Hey man, I’m gettin’ f—— double-teamed. I’m goin’ through a f—— divorce. I’m not playin’ good. What the f— you gonna do? Don’t be lookin’ for me. Motherf—–, go to work.’ And then he just turned it up, and that was how I was able to get No. 4 ’cause I was playin’ terrible.”

He also noted that Gary Payton and Udonis Haslem also helped get the message across:

“We had a respectful, hardcore conversation,” O’Neal said. “And me, G.P. and Udonis…we put him in a room, like, ‘Yo man, the f— you gonna do?’”

Since the talk, Wade put on an incredible performance that helped the Heat win the next four games. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 steals a game. Meanwhile, Shaq had 13.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

Shaq will always be thankful to Wade for helping him get his fourth ring, and it’s obvious in how he talked about the matter that he’s happy his teammate stepped up.