Wednesday night found future and past converging at the Amway Arena, and it was telling. Dwight Howard was in the house and Shaquille O'Neal, nursing an injured hip, wasn't. But it goes beyond that, beyond Howard leading the Magic to a 107-91 victory against the Shaq-less Miami Heat.

It goes to Howard heading to the NBA All-Star Game in a few weeks as the Eastern Conference's starting center. And when invitations for the reserves are announced tonight, it's unlikely O'Neal will get one, breaking a streak of 14 consecutive appearances.

Future. And past.

Shaq's shadow might never leave the Magic. But at least now, there's some light.

That light, though, is coming at the darkest time in O'Neal's career. Tomorrow is the first of February, and Shaq's Heat are still in single digits in victories. Thanks to a fairly fresh 15-game losing streak, along with last night's loss, Miami is now 9-35. And falling. Goodness, just two nights ago, Boston pounded Miami by 30 points.

There is no joy in seeing Shaq's decline as a player. The Big Fella's been good for the league, an overgrown kid with a goofy, lopsided smile and, of course, that devastating presence in the middle of the paint.

But make no mistake, it is a decline.

And not just Shaq's decline, either, but the whole Heat franchise with him, a franchise that just 19 months ago were NBA Champs.

Pat Riley had to know this was going to happen when he brought O'Neal to Miami four years ago, fueling the Diesel with a five-year, $100-million contract that wouldn't run out until Shaq was in his 39th year.

Riley sacrificed the future for a shot at one more title, the elusive title he craved to validate his coaching chops, to silence critics who claimed anyone with a whistle around their neck could've won championships with those Showtime Laker teams of the '80s.

It was the perfect match. Riley was desperate for another title, and Shaq, never known for his work ethic, was desperate to win one without Kobe Bryant.

In fact, Riley was so desperate that midway through the 2005-06 season, he took over the Heat's coaching duties, with Stan Van Gundy stepping down to ostensibly spend more time with his family.

The joke now, with the Heat every bit as abysmal as their 9-35 record indicates, Riley will step down to spend more time with Van Gundy's family.

Telling was how Van Gundy played out last night's lopsided win with his starters, perhaps to paste a 16-point win on his former mentor. The old Heat coach sticking it to the Heat coach who is getting old (Riley turns 63 in six weeks).

If Riley is still coaching the Heat after this season, it'll be surprising. Likely, he'll drop head coach from his assortment of titles, preserving a won-loss record that is postmarked for the Hall of Fame, and concentrate on his duties as the Heat's president.

Meanwhile, Shaq, who turns 36 on March 6, has two years and $40 million left on his contract. And there's no way, despite all the suggestions from the South Florida media, he's going to walk away from that kind of cash.

Know this about Shaq, he likes money. When he was living in Los Angeles and making tens of millions a year in salary and endorsements, he'd still play the lottery every day. Besides, Shaq needs the cash to provide a soft landing after his current divorce proceedings play out. Note just some of the monthly expenditures Shaq is listing:

? $156,116 in mortgages on three homes

? $31,229 in insurance

? $24,300 for gas

? $10,065 for electricity

? $26,500 for child care

? $12,775 for food

? $3,345 for phone bills

? $2,305 for pets

? $1,495 for cable TV

Again, these are monthly bills.

No, Shaq isn't going anywhere. Neither are the Heat.

As for the Magic, they once again, after all these years, have a dominating young center. They also have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

For the first time since Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando , it feels more like the future for the Magic instead of the past.

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