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It was a productive night for Phoenix’s big daddy last night, and it’s starting to look like a trend for the Diesel. Granted, the Suns’ season is only four games old, but so far, everything looks pretty good on the Shaquille O’Neal front. Last night, O’Neal helped the Suns win in New Jersey by scoring 18 points and grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. If you are looking for a negative, O’Neal did turn the ball over five times, but I think the fact he only missed two shots the entire night — including a 4-5 outing at the free throw line — gives him a pass on the turnovers.

Not only did the Diesel pace his team to their third win, he also got awarded Dunk of the Night and Block of the Night from last night’s game.

The dunk:

The block:

As far as Shaq’s play is concerned, he’s gotten off to a nice start this season, and if it continues — a big question for the Diesel considering his age and his injury history — the Suns might be even better than the prognosticators thought. Through four games, O’Neal is averaging 14 points, almost 9 rebounds and almost 2 blocks per game. Not only that, but Shaq is also shooting 65 percent from the free throw line and 70 percent from the field.

Naturally, no one expects O’Neal to continue shooting his free throws at such a relatively high rate — 62 percent is his career best he’s averaged from the line — but if he continues to stay healthy, give a damn and play this way, he will be a perfect compliment to Amare Stoudemire, something every Sun follower wanted when Phoenix traded for O’Neal.

The question is, will his good play continue or will a nagging injury or perhaps the grind of the regular season catch up to him?

Tags: Amare Stoudemire, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal

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