Shaquille O'Neal has always been a fun character, but when push came to shove on the basketball court, he knew how to get the most out of his teammates. Sometimes, he had unique motivational methods for his teammates, including a reverse psychology approach during the Miami Heat 's 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Heat were down 0-2 to the Mavs, so they needed a shot in the arm to aim for the comeback. Fortunately, Shaq motivated the team, including rising star Dwyane Wade . The young shooting guard proceeded to go on one of the standout Finals performances in NBA history, spearheading the four-game winning streak to win the title.
"Shaq is not playing up to Shaq standards. He was not the most dominant at that time in those first two games," D-Wade said on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony. "He just used some reverse psychology on us, 'I'm getting triple-teamed!' He in there yelling like he getting triple-teamed. I went back and watched the film; he wasn't. What he did to me, he just kinda put it on me… We talked about getting to that Penny and Kobe level."
Shaq knew how to motivate his teammates
Since Big Diesel was a superstar, he knew how to get the most out of his teammates. He always found ways to challenge and motivate them enough to prove the doubters wrong. What he did with the Heat showed he knew how to get the most out of his time, specifically D-Wade.
That was not the first time he wanted to motivate a shooting guard running mate. He always said that Kobe Bryant was a "killer pitbull," so the best approach for him was to make him angrier and not motivate him by any other means.
"When you got a dog, you agitate him. He doesn't respond to nice. He responds like, 'This is my sh**,' and I knew it ate him up a lot," Shaq said on From The Point with Trae Young. "But that was my tactic to keep him going. Gotta killer pitbull, you don't pet him, you piss him off and make sure he stays that pitbull."
It is safe to say that Shaq's plan worked because The Black Mamaba was the ever-reliable running mate during the three-peat from 2000 to 2002. He might have had a different approach with D-Wade, but his reverse psychology tactic worked, too.
Related: "Don't talk like you know me" - Shaquille O'Neal addresses his recent beef with Shannon Sharpe
The Flash became a superstar during the 2006 Finals
The Heat became a contending team when they acquired O'Neal via trade. However, the franchise knew the long-term future was in Dwyane's hands. Shaq knew he was getting older, so maximizing D-Wade was a superb way to bring out that superstar potential.
Wade averaged 34.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists to lead the Heat to their first-ever title. That was a breakout run for Wade because he would become a perennial MVP candidate after that and was synonymous with the Heat. He has made a huge impact on the NBA because of his superstardom, which started way back in 2006.
Related: Dwyane Wade on LeBron still playing at a high level: “It’s the mental that it impressive, to be able to go this long and be that great”
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