NBA: Shaquille O’Neal says his LA Lakers could beat Golden State Warriors easily

Shaquille O’Neal compares his Los Angeles Lakers teams — 1996-2004 — to two-time defending champion, Golden State Warriors.

Published : Dec 13, 2018 11:18 IST

Shaquille O'Neal...“We had one of the best teams of all time in 2001.”
Shaquille O'Neal...“We had one of the best teams of all time in 2001.”
lightbox-info

Shaquille O'Neal...“We had one of the best teams of all time in 2001.”

Shaquille O'Neal thinks his Los Angeles Lakers teams could beat the Golden State Warriors.

The Hall of Fame center won three titles with Los Angeles from 1996-04. He compared those squads to two-time defending champion the Warriors in an interview with USA Today on Wednesday.

Read | Stephen Curry says he was joking about landing on the moon

"I think we'd easily win," O'Neal said. "Other people might feel different, they [the Warriors] might feel different. But we had one of the best teams of all time in 2001 when we went 15-1 in the playoffs. We would've gone 16-0 but A. I. [Hall of Famer Allen Iverson] went off on us."

Mighty team

That 2000-01 Lakers team registered a 56-26 record. It swept through the first three rounds of the playoffs before topping Iverson's 76ers in five games.

Los Angeles captured three straight championships from 1999-02. It registered a combined 181-65 regular-season record during that time frame. Warriors has taken home three of the last four titles and leads the Western Conference with a 19-9 record.

O'Neal finished his 19-year career averaging 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds. He made 15 All-Star teams and won a fourth championship with the Heat in 2005-06.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment