'I was going through a divorce...You stepped up' - Shaq praises Zo for saving him in the 2006 Finals

The 2006 NBA Finals are primarily remembered as Dwyane Wade's coming-out party. D-Wade led the underdog Miami Heat from a 2-0 hole to win the championship. However, the Heat's success wasn't entirely the product of "The Flash's" greatness.

The Heat featured a plethora of veterans who each made small but significant contributions. A 33-year-old Shaquille O'Neal was Wade's right-hand man, but even the legendary center was a far cry from his best version.

With Shaq playing under expectations, Miami needed the role guys to step up, and they did just that. One of the silent X-factors was another veteran big man, Alonzo Mourning. O'Neal took the opportunity to give Zo his flowers on the latest episode of "The Big Podcast."

"I'm quick to brag about how I got four rings. I played terribly in the Finals; I was going through a divorce. This man saved my sh*t. That was not Shaq...You stepped up," Shaquille raved about Alonzo's impact.

Team player

Shaquille put up 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest in six Finals games, which was alright, but considering he averaged 20.0 points and 9.2 boards per night in the regular season, this was a significant drop-off. Obviously, getting older, mixed with injuries and personal problems, held "The Diesel" back, but thankfully, he had a squad behind him.

Mourning wasn't stuffing the stat sheets, but in his limited time on the court, Zo averaged 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. For small stretches, Alonzo would positively impact the flow, control the paint, protect the rim, and bring that valuable veteran leadership.

"Well, listen. Teamwork makes the dream work. At that particular time, we had a lot of guys that stepped up," Zo humbly said.

"It wasn't like 30 points. It was like a 6-minute stretch where I'm was like, 'Damn!'" O'Neal explained Mourning's role

SAS felt Zo had a more significant influence than Shaq

Shaquille isn't the only one to notice that he was not performing up to par in those Finals, as Stephen A. Smith once shared a similar sentiment. SAS claimed that Mourning instilled even more fear in Mavs players than O'Neal during the championship series.

"Shaq wasn't in his prime anymore; it was D-Wade who delivered that championship against the Dallas Mavericks. At that particular point, Alonzo Mourning was feared more than Shaquille O'Neal," SAS exclaimed.

This Stephen A. take might be a stretch, as Shaq was arguably still the second-best Heat player in that series despite not being his dominant self. Still, the roles that guys like Zo, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton, James Posey, and Udonis Haslem collectively made the team from Sout Beach the 2006 NBA champions.