Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal talks to the media about the upcoming NBA finals against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday, June 4, 2006 in Miami. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

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He certainly has the numbers to back it up.

Over 36 career games against Dallas, O'Neal has averaged 29.3 points. That's his most against any team and it's tops of any player who has ever faced the Mavericks more than six times.

O'Neal also has been good for 12.2 rebounds per game against them, which ranks near the top of all Dallas foes while being only a half-board per game above his leaguewide average.

Dooming as it all may sounds, the stats come with a disclaimer: Most were rung up against the likes of Shawn Bradley and other helpless defenders. Those guys may have had O'Neal's height or bulk, but none had both — and many had neither.

The Mavericks are better equipped this time around, with a pure center tandem of DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier. They won't stop O'Neal, but Dallas coach Avery Johnson is hoping that together they might be able to slow the Diesel.

"You need bodies," Johnson said Monday. "We've got two big bodies now."

The O'Neal-Dampier matchup comes with an interesting back story.

Two summers ago, when O'Neal was being shopped by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks dreamed of finally plugging their gaping hole in the middle by adding the ultimate big man. He liked the idea of going to Dallas, too, but the Lakers weren't about to send him to a conference rival, so he wound up on the other coast. Dallas ended up lavishing a huge contract on Dampier.

Around that time, Dampier proclaimed himself the second-best center in the NBA, presumably behind the Big You-Know-Who.

Whether those things were factors or not, Shaq began a war of words with Dampier the next time they met in Dallas. The Mavs won a tight game, with Dampier forcing O'Neal into two late misses. Afterward, he said: "Damp is soft. Quote it, write it, tape it and send it to him. I tell you, there's nothing there."

Then, when Dampier struggled in the playoffs last year, O'Neal used him as a punch line, saying that a leg injury was causing him to play "like Erick Dampier."

O'Neal is taking the high road now, saying he was just messing around back then.

"He's a good center, been playing well, him and Mr. Diop, they've been playing very well," O'Neal said. "We ain't going to make this series about words. It's two organizations that have never been there, two classy organizations. We're going to do this the right way and just duke it out on the basketball court."

Dampier also would rather settle things under the basket instead of in print.

"I think that's behind us now," he said. "We're both trying to win a world championship. I don't need any motivation. Just go out and play."

"Even though I had lot of games of rest, I should be ready for this series," Dampier said. "I kept a good attitude. I tried to still work at practice, keep myself in game shape."

Dampier stressed the importance of beating O'Neal down the court, then preventing him from getting to his favorite spots on the floor. That basically means pushing him as far from the basket as possible. He also noted that it won't be easy since O'Neal gets the ball so often.

However Dallas defends O'Neal, it won't be a gut decision. The Mavs often base their lineups on statistical analysis of their opponent's various lineup combinations, so they know which type of player is best suited to be on the court at a specific time.

In the Western Conference finals, Dallas used the more athletic Diop and other smaller, quicker players because the Phoenix Suns didn't use a true center. Dampier was limited to 24 minutes over six games; the fact Shaq didn't crack wise about that shows he's on his best behavior.

Veteran Jerry Stackhouse said the Mavericks can't worry too much about O'Neal. He even supported that contrarian view with a strong reference point: Tim Duncan.

The Big Fundamental, as O'Neal dubbed him, averaged 32.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game against Dallas in the second round, but the Mavericks won the series.

"Shaq's going to get points, he's going to get some easy opportunities, just don't get discouraged about that," Stackhouse said. "We didn't get discouraged by Tim Duncan. Those are just things that can happen. True dominant players are going to find a way to get their numbers. We have to find a way to control the other guys."

One thing Duncan and Diop must especially avoid is foul trouble. Third-string center D.J. Mbenga is suspended from the first four games, leaving spindly Keith Van Horn or Dirk Nowitzki as the next option.

Of course, fouling O'Neal isn't such a bad thing considering how poorly he shoots free throws. It's worth noting that the Hack-a-Shaq strategy was started by Dallas, when Johnson's predecessor Don Nelson was at his wit's end trying to stop O'Neal from, well, mashing the Mavs.