Posted by Kurt of Forum Blue and Gold.

Tonight, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic are going to come into South Beach and, for one night, Shaquille O'Neal is going to feel like every other center in the NBA did from 1995 until 2002 - outmanned and helpless.

Shaq is going to have the job of stopping Dwight Howard, and he's not going to be able to do it. He can't anymore.

You really shouldn't forget what a beast Shaq was (watch this video, which starts with him as a McDonalds All American). He is one of the game's all-time great centers. Shaq was an incredible mix of strong and quick - he could push a defender out of the way on the low block, or feel which hip said defender was on and spin the other way faster than anyone would imagine. Either way, the result was a dunk. He used to run the floor and was a devastating finisher as the trailer on a break.

He was also a good defender in the paint, protecting it from those tiny gnats called slashing guards. He was as good a rebounder as there was in the game. He could do everything that didn't involve shooting a ball unguarded from 15 feet away.

But Shaq is now a shell of that player, and as Brian Windhorst said here yesterday, "Shaq and the rest of the Heat are obviously struggling with his transition from star to role player, and let's be honest, that is what is happening."

Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is the Shaq of a new generation - stronger and more athletic than his peers, he can dominate at both ends of the floor. He's still got a lot of work to do to get to the polish that was on Shaq's game at it's peak, but that day is coming. Soon. He's already the best center in the game.

Which is why tonight will be a little odd to watch, sort of like watching Shaq guarding a younger version of himself. And like so many before him, today's Shaq will have no answer for stopping the ghost from his past.

UPDATE: Shaq ended up sitting out the Magic game, citing sore hips. So, pretend I said he got to watch a younger version of himself.