Shaquille O'Neal believes Golden State Warriors are aware of what they're doing unlike the Phoenix Suns
Shaquille O'Neal doesn't believe the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are in the same boat. So far, the two teams boast near-identical records. The Warriors are 20-20, while the Suns are 20-21. However, O'Neal highlighted why he has more faith in the Dubs than their division rivals.
Here's what the former LA Lakers superstar said on TNT's "Inside the NBA" show (via Talkin' NBA):
"Right now, they [Phoenix] are not a championship contender. The difference between them and Golden State is... Golden State Warriors are experimenting and teaching at the same time..."
He added:
"They know exactly what they're doing. Phoenix, I don't know much about them, I'm scared for them, but you know, hopefully they get it together."
Shaq on the Suns:
"Right now, they are not a championship contender... I'm scared for them... There's something going on."
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Shaquille O'Neal explained that the Golden State Warriors are experimenting and teaching by giving their young players significant rotation minutes. It's been one of the biggest reasons they are currently hovering around the .500 mark.
However, the Western Conference standings don't have much separation between the No. 4 and No. 13 rankings. Every team in that bracket has a legitimate shot of at least securing a play-in tournament spot or a homecourt seeding.
Take the No. 7 ranked Golden State Warriors, for example. They are only three games behind the No.4 Dallas Mavericks. This lack of separation allows them to continue developing their young players and prepare them for postseason basketball by putting them in crunch situations during the regular season.
Meanwhile, they continue to have one of the longest-tenured and most successful trios in Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. They have made the finals six times in the last eight years, winning it four times.
That's not the case with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have a veteran presence on their roster, but their struggles have been persistent, especially lately. They are 4-14 over their last 18 games and seem to have issues rectifying their errors.
Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have both struggled due to injuries
A common theme for the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns' amid their struggles has been injuries to key players. The Warriors were without Steph Curry for 11 games between December 13th to January 7th after he sustained a shoulder injury during the Warriors' 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers on December 11th.
The Dubs were already hovering around the .500 mark at that stage. After that game, they were 14-15. In Curry's absence, they went 6-5. A couple of those losses were against the lowly-ranked Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic, which the Dubs could've potentially avoided in Curry's presence.
Meanwhile, the Suns have played without Devin Booker 10 times this season. They are 2-8 in those games and have lost nine of their last 10 games. That includes a six-game skid as of January 10th.
The Suns have also missed the services of other key players. Due to injuries, Chris Paul and Cam Johnson have been absent for brief stretches. Their starting power forward over the past couple of seasons, Jae Crowder, has been inactive as the team seeks a trade partner for him.
These factors have played a role in both teams reeling in the middle of the Western Conference standings as opposed to their expectations of being a top seed at this stage.