Winning it for the old folks

DALLAS — It was clear from the start of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals that Miami had the edge in experience over Dallas because of six players in their 30s.

Gary Payton, 37, was the Heat’s senior statesman. Also in the 30s circle were Alonzo Mourning, 36, Shaquille O’Neal, 34, Shandon Anderson, 32, Derek Anderson, 31 and Jason Williams, 30.

For Payton and Mourning, winning their first championship was the crowning glory of their storybook careers. With the season now over, they become free agents and it’s not certain if any team, including Miami, will be interested to sign them up.

Payton, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1996, is now just a shadow of his old self. With his confidence as a scorer at an ebb, it’s difficult to imagine that Payton averaged at least 20 points a game in seven of his 16 seasons.

In 1996, Payton led Seattle to the Finals but the SuperSonics lost to Chicago in six games. He was back in the Finals with Los Angeles in 2004 but the Lakers bowed to Detroit in five.

This was Payton’s last chance for a ring and he hung on to O’Neal coattails, realizing the Big Diesel was his only hope. In the regular season, the Glove averaged 7.7 points, continuing his steady decline in production from 24.2 points in 1999-2000. In the playoffs, coach Pat Riley called on Payton off the bench more for his defense than offense.

In the Miami-Dallas series, Payton had his moments of brilliance. Who can forget his jumper with 9.3 seconds left to win Game 3 for Miami? Who can forget his left-handed floater high off the window to push Miami on top, 99-98, time down to 29.8 ticks in overtime of Game 5?

Payton surprised even himself when he strayed from his passing role and chipped in eight points in Game 5 as Miami’s bench outscored the Dallas relievers, 23-12.

In the title clincher, Payton wasn’t as active although he finished the game on the floor, not on the bench. Riley wanted Payton to savor the sweet taste of victory in the Finals.

Mourning had never played in the Finals before. Like Payton, he went to O’Neal for the chance to exit with a bang. Because he had played most of his career in Miami, Mourning chose to return to where his heart is. Miami obliged as his former team, Toronto, even agreed to pay for part of his salary.

Mourning underwent a kidney transplant in December 2003 with his 30-year-old cousin Jason Cooper, an ex-Marine, his donor. He made a remarkable comeback from surgery like Sean Elliott although there is a 30 percent chance of his glomerulosclerosis condition recurring. The disease scars the kidneys and impairs their ability to filter bodily wastes.

Throughout the season, Mourning wore a $1 band of yellow rubber on his wrist. It has an embossed message: LIVESTRONG, which is cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong’s battlecry.

"Most guys who are getting up in years simply quit on the dream but Zo sincerely wants to win a championship—otherwise, he wouldn’t be playing," Riley said of Mourning who pops about 20 pills a day to counter the side effects of his anti-rejection drugs.

Mourning, however, said his comeback was not just motivated by his ambition for a ring. "I’m not back to just play basketball," said Mourning who has raised nearly $10 Million for his charities. "I’m back to have a positive influence and do something with this opportunity."

In Game 6 yesterday (Manila time), Mourning came to Miami’s rescue when O’Neal got into foul trouble. He played quality minutes, contributing eight points, six rebounds and five blocked shots.

Mourning said he couldn’t be happier with Payton’s arrival.

"I was telling Gary, man, I’m glad you came here (to Miami) because I’d have been the oldest guy in the team," laughed Zo.

Payton chose to play for the Heat in the twilight of his career because he knew O’Neal wouldn’t let him down.

"Why did I come to Miami?’’ asked Payton. "Man, I mean, well, because of Shaq, basically. Me and Shaq said we wanted to finish our careers together. We thought we were going to do it in L.A. and that didn’t work out."

Now that they’ve won their rings, Payton and Mourning should probably retire on a high note. Their future in Miami is uncertain and it’s likely Riley will infuse more youth in the lineup.

As for Dallas, only the contracts of Jason Terry, Adrian Griffin and Keith Van Horn are expiring so the Mavs will return the core of their squad led by Dirk Nowitzki unless coach Avery Johnson decides to shake up the roster for another bold bid next season.