Shaquille O'Neal puts Steph Curry over Magic Johnson as the GOAT - "He's the best point guard ever"
Shaquille O'Neal is a big Steph Curry fan. He has been insisting over the years that as long as "Chef Curry” is healthy, the Golden State Warriors will be tough to beat.
On the latest episode of 'The Big Podcast with Shaq', the Big Diesel gave his highest compliment to Curry:
“You have to say he’s the best point guard ever. I’m having a discussion with my guy, Jamal Crawford. ‘He’s not a traditional point guard!’ I’m like, ‘Bro, he’s listed as a point guard.’
“Yes! I am [putting him over Magic Johnson]. You heard it here first. The game has evolved. His position is point guard.”
(20:10)
Shaquille O'Neal has joined a growing list of former and current NBA players who have claimed that Steph Curry is the best point guard ever to step on the court. The Warriors’ championship run against the Boston Celtics last year has been widely considered the tipping point in the GOAT point guard talk.
Curry won his first NBA Finals MVP and was at his best when the Bay Area team needed him to step up. He is now a four-time NBA champ who has grabbed several of the most important individual awards in the league.
Before Steph Curry’s accomplishments in recent years, no one doubted that the best point guard to ever play in the NBA was Magic Johnson. Many would still call him to be the best in his position to this day, but it hasn’t been as one-sided a discussion as it once was.
Stephen Curry won unanimously, receiving all 11 votes for Finals MVP. https://t.co/RA7z8BCbsV
Johnson was the engine of the “Showtime Lakers,” who won five championships in the 80s. “Junior” was a three-time regular-season MVP and was named the NBA Finals MVP thrice.
The Curry vs Magic debate could become as hot as the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James GOAT discussion.
Shaquille O'Neal had this to say about what the LA Lakers can do against Steph Curry in their playoff series:
“There’s no guarding Steph Curry because he’s a unique player. He plays like Ray Allen and Reggie Miller on ecstasy. They never stop. Steph never stops moving. He can shoot, he can dribble.
When he doesn’t have the ball, that’s when he’s dangerous. When he has the ball, he is more dangerous because he hurts you with the herky-jerky dribble.
“You can’t [game plan for him]. I hate to say it but, somebody need to touch him up. That’s what I did. I’m not saying beat him up. Just touch him up!
(32:50)
Shaquille O'Neal predicts Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will beat the LA Lakers in six games
Shaq is undoubtedly an LA Lakers legend, but he predicted that Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors will eliminate his former team in the conference semi-finals.
Here’s what Shaq had to say about the Lakers-Warriors series:
“I’m gonna go with Golden State ‘cause I know what they bring. They have a switch. Sometimes that switch don’t work, but when that switch is on, whhhh. Guess what? The law of averages. Jordan Poole ain’t gonna be off this whole playoffs.
"Imma say four, I meant six, I’m sorry."
Shaq said he wanted to pick the Lakers, but he is not sure which version of Anthony Davis will show up. He added that he knew what Curry and LeBron James will bring to the table. AD is the wildcard and has proven to be so after two games.
Also read: "I'll keep praying for him" - Shaquille O'Neal relieved to hear his friend Jamie Foxx is recovering well