"I would've laid his a** out a couple of times" - Shaquille O'Neal on what he'd do on facing Steph Curry and beating Warriors and Michael Jordan's Bulls, Kevin Durant claps back with, "Bring Shaq up in that pick and roll and test them hips"
Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Durant recently had a back and forth. O'Neal commented that his LA Lakers team from the early 2000s would beat Michael Jordan's Bulls and Steph Curry's Warriors team.
O'Neal spoke about the subject during an appearance on "The Frank Caliendo Podcast." O'Neal said he would lay out Curry every time he would've tried to get to the rim if their teams faced off in their primes.
"We would've let Stephen Curry drive to the basket and I would've laid his a** out a couple of time. Period," said Shaquille O'Neal (h/t ESPN).
Kevin Durant had none of it. He responded in the comments, saying Shaq would've struggled with the high pick and roll defensively against the Warriors.
"Bring Shaq up in that pick and roll and test them hips. Pause," wrote Durant.
Shaquille O'Neal never backs down from these verbal battles. He has displayed as much during his stint with TNT, along with the "Inside the NBA" crew, featuring Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.
With the show done for the season, the former MVP found a new target to go after in the form of Durant. Here's how Shaq responded:
“Every time you miss you know what ima do, post you and score. I don’t have to stop anyone I have to be stopped which is impossible to do.”
Shaq says his Lakers would beat Steph’s Dubs and MJ’s Bulls.
KD: “Bring Shaq up in that pick and roll and test them hips. Pause.”
Shaq: “Every time you miss you know what ima do, post you and score. I don’t have to stop anyone I have to be stopped which is impossible to do.” https://t.co/1klsQ7dRnZ
Contrasting styles make it difficult to pick the winner between Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers and Kevin Durant's Warriors
The game has evolved massively over the last two decades. Outside shooting and spacing are now vital to a team's offensive system. That wasn't the case when Shaquille O'Neal and the late Kobe Bryant led the LA Lakers to a three-peat between 2000 and 2003.
Steph Curry Finals record:
9-1 with Kevin Durant
8-11 without Kevin Durant
(Submitted by @durantmuse) https://t.co/3Itfw4ogLz
Kevin Durant and Steph Curry-led Warriors were one of the best offensive teams due to the spacing they had. Durant, Curry and Thompson are efficient from all three levels, making it extremely difficult to guard them.
OTD in 2001, Shaq put up video game numbers in the #NBAFinals
28 PTS
20 REB
9 AST
8 BLK https://t.co/8EXFTQ3Ej2
Meanwhile, the LA Lakers' three-peat teams relied more on inside scoring, especially from O'Neal, who was a monster inside the paint.
He used his seven-foot, 345-pound frame to his advantage to attack the rim. He shot at an efficient clip, making 57.5% of his shots from the field during his tenure with the Lakers.
#OTD in 2000, Kobe's iconic lob to Shaq helped the Lakers earn a comeback win in Game 7 of the WCF 💥 https://t.co/YBeLJYRlY2
Not to forget, the Lakers' opponents also had to deal with the presence of Kobe Bryant, a highly effective three-level scorer. Together, the duo of Shaq and Kobe wreaked havoc, reaching the NBA Finals, four seasons in a row.