During his playing days, Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant player in the NBA, maybe in history. His presence on the hardwood ensured defenses would hone in on him, as they tried to take away easy buckets around the paint. Due to that level of gravity, his running mates would often find themselves free to get to their spots or attack out of isolations.
That’s why, during a recent episode of the “Off The Record Podcast,” O’Neal made the bold declaration that he would have won six championships if he were partnered with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. His comments came as he was discussing his time with Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, and how he would have enjoyed playing next to Tracey McGrady.
“Our guy (Kobe) had room to operate cuz I got 3 people on me…I agree with what T-Mac said. Probably get a lot of flak, but I always said myself, I think I could’ve got 3 in a row with T-Mac, I think I could’ve got 2 with Vince, Oh I know I get 6 with Steph”
Curry has rarely had a reliable big man next to him. Part of the Warriors‘ success was their ability to play small, and how that provided them with the ability to play up-tempo, highly-skilled basketball. However, it’s hard to dispute that an inside-out pairing of Curry and O’Neal would have been historically dominant.
Still, there’s no guarantee that the partnership would have ended in six championships, even if Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also on the roster. Nevertheless, it’s a fun alternative universe to consider, as O’Neal was doing in that podcast episode.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!