Dr. Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, said in a rare interview that he regrets the anger Shaquille O'Neal expressed after being traded to the Miami Heat.

"I have not spoken to him," Buss said before Sunday night's game against the New Orleans Hornets. "I did call his agent and asked if we could have lunch before he left town. I plan on doing that again."

O'Neal has repeatedly expressed anger at the Lakers, general manager Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant since being traded to the Miami Heat in July.

"Right now, his statements indicate he's not in a very good mood," Buss said with a smile. "He's bigger than I am, so I guess I'll wait a little bit."

Buss confirmed that O'Neal was offered around $45 million for two more years, meaning he would have been under contract for over $100 million over the next four seasons had he accepted the offer.

"Do I wish he had taken that? I wanted him to take it," Buss said. "Whether or not I would have still traded him or not, I'm not sure. It's hard to go back in history."

Buss said he eager awaits the Christmas Day game between the Lakers and Miami Heat -- O'Neal's first against the Lakers since the trade.

"I can't wait. I think that's going to be one of the biggest games in sports," Buss said.

Is it possible that the most entertaining game of the night was in Miami and not Detroit?

In an overtime game, the Miami Heat defeated the Utah Jazz, two of the best teams in the NBA, and a possible Finals preview.

Wade delivered both a victory and the best performance of his young career. He capped a career-high 39-point night with a jumper over Raja Bell at the overtime buzzer, giving the Miami Heat a 107-105 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

Wade had 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, plus hit two free throws with 1 second left in regulation just to get Miami into the extra session.

"I always go through a stretch where I play bad, and I go through a stretch where I play good," Wade said. "That's the difference between this year and last year. Now I know it's going to happen like that, so I continue to stay focused. My team needs me down the stretch to make plays."

Recently waived Knicks forward Shandon Anderson has agreed to sign with the Miami Heat, according to a league source.

Anderson was in Miami on Saturday and has passed the team physical, paving the way for him to be officially signed either Sunday or Monday.

Anderson agreed to a $20 million buyout of the remaining three years, $24 million of his contract with the Knicks earlier in the week, paving the way for him to join the team of his choice.

A number of teams -- including the Bulls, Rockets, Nuggets and Warriors -- also made a push for Anderson. However, Anderson wanted to join a team with a legitimate shot at an NBA title. The Heat are starting Rasual Butler --a former second-round pick in his third year -- ahead of veteran Wesley Person at small forward.

Dwayne Wade sprained his ankle during Miami's first loss of the season versus the Dallas Mavericks.

"It's real sore," Wade said.

Wade will travel with the team to San Antonio, but it is unclear whether he will play.

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal eclipsed the 22,000-point plateau Thursday night, becoming the 20th player in NBA history to accomplish the feat.

O'Neal's follow-up slam off a missed shot with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks gave him 20 points in the game, and 22,000 points in 814 career regular-season games.

The Miami Heat?s Dwyane Wade and Minnesota Timberwolves? Kevin Garnett were today named the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Tuesday, November 2 through Sunday, November 7.

Wade led the Heat to a perfect 3-0 start, averaging 28.7 points (2nd in the NBA) on .560 shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in wins over New Jersey, Cleveland and Washington. Wade recorded career highs in both points (37) and assists (12) and grabbed eight rebounds against the Wizards. His 86 points in the first three contests tied a Heat franchise record, set by Alonzo Mourning in 1996-97, for most total points by a player in the first three games of the season.

Garnett led the Timberwolves to a 2-1 start, averaging 27.3 points, a league-high 16.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game. He recorded double-doubles in all three contests and recorded his 24th career 20-point/20-rebound effort with 28 points and 20 rebounds against New York. Garnett recorded stellar performances in crunch time this week, shooting 71.4% from the field in fourth quarters and overtime in tight games against New York, Denver and New Orleans.

With a sore left hamstring, Shaquille O'Neal was a gametime decision on Miami's opening night versus the Nets.  Shaq's young teammates waited with baited breath whether or not he would suit up.

He did and while the individual results were less than spectacular, the Heat did win in impressive fashion. He scored 16 points, grabbed five boards, and shot 7-for-9 from the field in 21 minutes.

"I didn't want to leave them out there by themselves," Shaq said of his teammates after the game. "I was going to wait until I was 100 percent but I haven't been 100 percent in 10 years."

Ticket prices are soaring for Shaquille O'Neal's return to the Staples Center against the Lakers on Christmas Day.

A 44-person suite at Staples Center for the Laker game is available on ticketsnow.com for $36,000. A courtside seat can be purchased for $28,250. In the cheapest section of the house, tickets are for sale at $240. A parking pass is on sale for $85.

On EBay, two tickets on the lower level are going for $1,500 apiece.

That 44-person suite normally goes for $6,820, a courtside seat is $2,000 and the cheapest Laker ticket is $10.

An unofficial survey of ticket brokers around Southern California showed that several are asking $2,500 for a single seat for the Laker-Heat matchup.

A ticket broker, who declined to be identified, said interest in the Laker-Heat game was off the charts.

"It's the biggest demand I've ever seen for a regular-season game," he said, "far greater than when Michael Jordan came back, far greater than when Magic Johnson came out of retirement."

A desperately motivated Shaquille O'Neal wants to play in Miami's opener Wednesday at New Jersey despite a strained left hamstring.

O'Neal said after Tuesday's practice that the hamstring felt awkward when he ran. He hurt himself nearly three weeks ago and aggravated the injury last week in an exhibition game.

Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said O'Neal's availability won't be determined until game time. If O'Neal cannot play, Michael Doleac will start at center against the Nets.

"You don't want to take something small and make it big. ... It's real frustrating," O'Neal said. "I've done a lot of work. I wanted things to be perfect, but you just have to adjust and wait until it becomes perfect."

O'Neal missed 15 games in each of the past three seasons with foot and leg injuries.

"If he's healthy, he'll play," Van Gundy said. "If not, he won't."

According to a survey conducted by NBA.com of its general managers, the Detroit Pistons are the heavy favorites to return to the NBA Finals.

Larry Brown's team received nearly 70% of the vote.  The Indiana Pacers received 24% of the vote and the Miami Heat received 14% of the vote.

The New York Knicks were voted most likely to win the Atlantic Division by a 52 point margin.

The Heat received every single vote when asked who will win the Southeast Division.