Image Credits - ESPN
Shaquille O’Neal believes his Lakers team from 2001 was better than the 2017 Golden State Warriors outfit.
NBA teams from various eras have historically faced off against one another in hypothetical games. The most recent was Betis, ween the 2017 Warriors and the 2001 Lakers, led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal combo, which would have been stunning.
In an interview with Complex, Stephen Curry was asked who would win the hypothetical clash in a seven-game series released on Monday. To no one’s surprise, he selected his Golden State side, which included himself, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.
Curry started to Complex, “if you could match up in some parallel world, us vs. the 2001 Lakers, clearly we feel like we can win. I have no idea who would watch over Shaq, and I have no idea who would watch over Klay and me either. We’re rocking that. And three is preferable to two.”
Curry is alluding to the fact that the Warriors have three all-star scorers while the Lakers only had two. O’Neal argued in favor of his old team on the most recent episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq.
O’Neal proclaimed, “My team that went 15-1 is the finest team ever produced because we should’ve gone 16-0. I say we can win it because, you know, who will protect Kobe and me?
“Here’s my response”, O’Neal said. “D-Fish (Derek Fisher), send them to the hole I’m going to lay their a— out as they get hot. KD, Steph, and Klad. I’m going to touch them up.”
Both teams finished with one postseason loss in those years and won NBA titles. Because the first round of the playoffs at the time consisted solely of best-of-five series, the Warriors ended the season 16-1 while the Lakers finished 15-1. O’Neal was asked why there would be a decline in points outside Bryant and himself, but he had a response.
“They’ll have to double me”, remarked O’Neal. “I’m going for 60 [points] without the free throws if they don’t double me.”
Curry has frequently been referred to as O’Neal’s favorite NBA player, and on June 13, during an interview on ESPN’s First Take, O’Neal stated his opinion that Curry belongs in the top 10 all-time players. However, O’Neal has complete faith in both his former colleagues and himself.
Read More:
Follow our dedicated NBA page for instant NBA news and updates