ORLANDO, Fla. _ Mercifully, there's one final hard-to-swallow moment left in the matter of Orlando and Shaquille O'Neal.
And it's a big one.
On Friday, Shaq will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
It's the last celebrated stop of a four-championship career that started right here. And the most bittersweet chapter in Orlando sports history will officially _ but not emotionally, never emotionally _ come to a close.
You can re-live it all this week _ in the 20th year anniversary of his exit, no less. NBA TV devoted Wednesday to all things Shaq.
The tale was told about how this one-horse town became the center of the basketball universe ... until that one horse galloped off into the purple-and-gold Lakers sunset.
Our Bill Buckner moment.
I don't know if Shaq will shed tears at his hall-of-fame induction _ Magic fans could provide the waterworks for a dynasty lost _ but let's imagine how his acceptance speech could have gone had he never left Orlando...
