IN THE WANING moments of the Washington Wizards' thrilling playoff victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, the fans at MCI Center burst into a spontaneous chant.
"WE WANT SHAQ ... WE WANT SHAQ."
This is what happens when unbridled enthusiasm scores an upset victory over reason, because - when you think about it - the last guy you want to see after a tough first round of the NBA playoffs is Shaquille O'Neal.
The guy is a monster, and the only way to stop him is for Shaq to either lose interest or blow out that sore quad, neither of which is likely to happen over the next week or so.
The Wizards, in fact, are getting Shaq at the worst possible time. They're getting Angry Shaq, who was just dissed by Lakers owner Jerry Buss and, according to ESPN.com, was just passed over for league MVP honors in favor of Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash.
(Frankly, I don't know who really broke that story, but it's a lot easier to give ESPN credit for all breaking news than to try to sort out the real scoops from the stuff the broadcast and internet foofs take credit for because they can put it on the street faster than anyone else.)
The bottom line is, it's never a good idea to get under Shaq's skin, if only because you could end up getting lost for weeks trying to find your way back out.
The Wizards already figured to be a huge underdog in their second-round series against the Miami Heat. They weren't even expected to beat the Bulls and now they've got to face the biggest, meanest guy in the history of basketball at a time when he's, well, not very happy.
Buss blasted him Wednesday for being unmotivated and out of shape during the final years of the Lakers' dynasty, apparently trying to make the case that it was some kind of coincidence the Lakers traded away the big guy and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since, I think, 1874.
You had to love the way Shaq took the high road when he heard how Buss had tried to rationalize one of the worst trades in NBA history. He ripped Buss for dating young girls, which was the only thing I liked about the guy.
"I didn't need motivation," O'Neal said. "I needed a real owner, not a guy that parties with girls three times [younger than Buss] - when you're 60, hang out with 60 year olds, not 20 year olds."
(Just to be clear, Shaq didn't actually say that to me. I'm relating a comment I read in a wire service story, though I'm pretty sure it was first reported by ESPN.)
