Former Lakers guard Nick Young doesn’t think Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led three-peat LA team can beat the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors led by Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Young cited O’Neal and Co.’s loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals as the reason.
“I love the Lakers but the shaq and Kobe team is not beating 2017-18 warriors,” Young tweeted on Sunday. “All this shaq is the most dominant big ever stuff they lost to Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace 4-1 respectfully warriors in 5 on both teams ..”
The 2004 finals loss was the one blemish on O’Neal and Bryant’s co-led Lakers during their illustrious stint. LA arguably had the more talented team with O’Neal, Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton.
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However, friction between the lead co-stars (O’Neal and Bryant) derailed LA’s chances at a fourth title with the two legends. The Pistons captured on that and delivered the franchise’s third NBA title and arguably the most impressive.
Nick Young’s point may have some legitimacy, but the broken chemistry between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant was one of the primary reasons holding the team back, not their talent and skill.
It’s never easy to predict the outcome of these hypothetical matchups. Both teams were solid for their generations and versatile, making it tough to pick one to win.
Draymond Green once told Shaquille O’Neal his masterplan to stop him in hypothetical matchup
Shaquille O’Neal most recently debated Draymond Green on his podcast in May about a hypothetical matchup between his three-peat Lakers and the Kevin Durant-led Warriors. Green admitted that the Warriors didn’t have a one-on-one option to guard O’Neal.
However, the former Defensive Player of the Year suggested there was a defensive scheme to stop O’Neal.
“Not letting you get the ball,” Green said. “So we’re gonna guard you with a guy in front of you and a guy behind you.”
O’Neal argued he had faced that defensive scheme before, but Green hit back, saying “he wasn’t on the court.” The two went back and forth over it, listing their wingspans and height.
Shaquille O’Neal disagreed with Draymond Green over it. However, the latter made a solid point later, saying it was easier to double the former Lakers center as LA didn’t have shooting threats on the perimeter.
Teams in the 2000s didn’t rely on 3-point shooting as much. It primarily favors modern-day teams in these debates. Spacing has eased the pressure on offense to score at will, while the high frequency of 3s makes it a mathematical game of scoring more points per possession.
Meanwhile, teams before the 3-point shooting exploded had an advantage because of length, size and physicality.
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