2005 NBA Finals: Heat vs. Spurs
We could have seen the birth of Miami Heat superiority a year early. A tightly contested Eastern Conference Finals with the Detroit Pistons left the Heat coming home empty in their first year with Shaquille O’Neal. However, with the Heat winning that fifth game, we could have seen Dwyane Wade and O’Neal take on prime Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
The Pistons took this Spurs team to a grueling seven games, and maybe the Heat could have pushed them to the brink as well. Assuming Miami wins, it would have given Shaq the upper hand after his bitter exit from the Lakers.
2004 NBA Finals: No more Pistons
What if Shaq never leaves LA? It might have been possible because the New Jersey Nets would have beaten the Detroit Pistons in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Instead of facing Detroit, the Lakers have their choice between New Jersey or the Indiana Pacers.
Maybe the Lakers could have had the same challenges that the Pistons gave them, but that seems pretty unlikely. So if Los Angeles wins, is Karl Malone the greatest power forward of all-time? Do Shaq and Kobe look past their differences? If O’Neal stays put, what does that do for Dwyane Wade and the Heat?