Shaquille O'Neal believes New York Knicks won't get out of 1st round in playoffs
The New York Knicks may be on a roll, but Shaquille O'Neal was far from impressed with the team's performance as of late. With New York building a massive winning streak, O'Neal expressed his thoughts on the team's chances in the postseason.
The New York Knicks were a hotbed of activity in the offseason. Coming off a somewhat disappointing showing in the 2021-22 season, the Knicks decided to make some rather radical changes to their roster. Hence, New York became a prominent figure in the trade market.
In the process of doing so, the team was linked with several players in the offseason. The Knicks made their first move by signing Jalen Brunson in free agency from the Dallas Mavericks.
While this move has paid off dividends, the Knicks were in store to bolster their backcourt even further. With rumors all but suggesting that they would land Donovan Mitchell, New York was in a position to look like playoff contenders.
Unfortunately, communication breakdowns and faulty trade offers resulted in Mitchell heading to the Cavs. However, this allowed the Knicks to offer rising star RJ Barrett a well-earned contract extension.
Overall, the look and feel of the Knicks team hasn't changed as much as they would have hoped. However, the team has started gathering momentum at this point in the season.
After a relatively balanced start to the event, New York went on a seven-game winning streak to occupy sixth place in the East.
With Brunson leading the way, the Knicks have looked like an impressive unit. However, Shaquille O'Neal remains unfazed regarding their potential in the playoffs.
Speaking on the panel of "NBA on TNT" prior to the team's game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Shaquille O'Neal said:
"I'm happy for the Knicks, but I'm not going to get too happy. They won 7 games [in a row], they're in the 6th seed, whoopie freaking doo..."
Kenny Smith almost immediately disagreed with Shaquille O'Neal's comments. However, Shaq continued by saying:
"There's still a lot of season left. All-Star break, they're in sixth. I don't think they can get out of one round of the playoffs."
Shaquille O’Neal unfazed by Knicks winning streak, doubts they can get out of 1st round of playoffs: lakersdaily.com/shaquille-onea…
The Knicks have been on a tear as of late. Building off of Brunson's ingenuity, New York has been playing with a newfound purpose.
However, playoff basketball is a different ballgame altogether. Considering Brunson is the only player in the rotation who has made it deep into the playoffs, the Knicks are severely lacking in experience.
Read: NBA Rumors: LA Lakers and New York Knicks discussed deal involving Evan Fournier and Patrick Beverley
The New York Knicks respond to Shaquille O'Neal with a blowout win
Following Shaquille O'Neal's comments about the New York Knicks, the team took on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. In light of this event, the Knicks tore the Warriors to shreds at Madison Square Garden.
Walking away with a 132-94 win, the Knicks served a beatdown to the shorthanded Warriors to extend their winning streak to eight games. The most impressive part, however, was that Tuesday night's game was a combined effort.
Six Knicks players notched double-digit scoring, with Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley leading the way with 21 and 22 points each.
While playing some stifling defense on the other side of the ball, the Knicks are surpassing expectations. Only time will tell whether they can prove Shaquille O'Neal wrong.
Read: New York Knicks build winning mentality amid hot streak - Julius Randle, Tom Thibodeau react to 7-game winning streak