Jermaine O'Neal Is Miami's X-Factor

The Miami Heat are 5-1 for the first time since the 2004-05 season and many are crediting Wade and his stellar performance in the past 6 games. I on the other hand, credit Jermaine O’Neal.

O’Neal is Miami’s X-Factor for many reasons:

First, he establishes a low post presence the Heat have been missing since Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning patrolled the the court. Second, he's a scoring threat because he not only hits the high percentage shots, but can hit the mid-range jumpers from the corners.

Beyond that, he also seems this season to have something to prove. I believe he wants to show the NBA, and the world, that he's still got what it takes to be a premier center.

How much of a difference does Jermaine make for the Heat?

Co-Captain Udonis Haslem told SI.com "He makes a ton of difference, anytime you can have an inside presence it makes everybody better, even Dwyane [Wade]."

Agreed, Udonis, JO's play has elevated even All-Star Dwyane Wade's game at times.

So far this season, O'Neal is logging 31 minutes per game and averaging 15 points and eight rebounds per contest; both slightly higher than his career average.

Unlike the O'Neal who previously donned a Heat uniform, JO hits the mid-range jumper with ease. This makes him a valuable asset and will be crucial in helping Miami make some noise in the Eastern Conference this season.

So far this year O’Neal is leading Miami with a .607 field-goal percentage and is averaging more points than anyone on the team other than Wade. With JO as the second-leading scorer for the Heat, it gives Dwyane some breathing room.

Wade is also getting help from his other teammates, as five other Heat players are averaging in double figures. This clearly isn't the same Miami team from last season, where Dwyane had to carry the load every single night.

No, this year Wade trusts his teammates more and is passing the ball to them more often to let them take the shot. A year ago he would have simply done it himself, driving to the basket or taking the jumper.

More than anyone, though, Jermaine O'Neal is coming to the aid of Dwyane Wade this year. As he proved against Indiana and Toronto, JO is ready to take on his critics and convince those who doubted him that he's still got it.

To those who said he was too old, or couldn't play anymore, he wants to send a message; that he isn't too old, and he can still play.

Some people tend to forget that JO just turned 31 this past October. That's a year younger than when Shaquille O'Neal came to Miami. If Shaq could help in delivering a title to South Beach at age 33, there's no reason to believe the younger, and frankly more skilled O'Neal can't do the same before then.

Jermaine is not the same player he was last season. Last year JO wore two knee braces. From my own personal experience I can tell you that wearing those types of braces restrict your explosiveness and agility.

Case in point? Now that he's no longer wearing them, O'Neal's explosiveness and agility are back; which is a very good thing for the Miami Heat.

O'Neal can thank Dwyane Wade in part for his his new-found youth. Wade recommended O'Neal work out with legendary trainer Tim Grover, the same guy who trained Dwyane Wade himself, along with the likes of Gilbert Arenas and a guy named Michael Jordan.

Grover is known as a guy who can revive a players career, bringing them back from long stretches of not playing basketball.

As Gilbert Arenas put it, "He saved my career."

When people thought Jordan's career was over, Grover was the one who helped him win the last three of his six championships with the Bulls; after he'd taken a year off to play baseball.

Any Miami fan knows about him from his work with Wade. After injuries and surgeries to his shoulder and knees, there were questions about whether Dwyane could ever be as explosive as he was during the first few years he was in the league.

Grover went to the Olympics to begin training Wade, and even worked with him after the Olympics prior to the 2008-2009 NBA season.

What was the result of all that work with Grover?

Oh, nothing more than an MVP-caliber season and a scoring title, along with all of the explosiveness of his youth, that proved Wade was back for good.

Spending the entire summer training with Grover, Jermaine O'Neal seems to be seeing the same results. Everyone is feeling that this time Jermaine is for real.

Some cynics state he's only now playing well because he wants to get a max contract next year (O'Neal becomes a free agent at the end of the season). They could be right, and that could be part of what is motivating him to do so well, but I'm not sure.

"He's healthy," Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra told SI.com’s Mark Montieth. "The energy, the liveliness you see in his legs, is a residual of the time he put into sweating and working in the summer. He's allowed us to establish something (inside)."

Dwyane Wade also can’t help but notice the difference O’Neal has been this season: "This is the best Jermaine has played in at least three years," he told the Miami Herald

Here's hoping it continues.

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