"There was no fighting, no arguing on the bench, no checking each other, no hidden shots" - Shaquille O'Neal slams the Phoenix Suns for showing no fight against Mavs in Game 7

Shaquille O'Neal called out the Phoenix Suns for quitting in Game 7 at home against the Dallas Mavericks. [Photo: Valley of the Suns]

Shaquille O'Neal, like most basketball fans, looked somewhat in disbelief at what happened in Game 7 between the Dallas Mavericks and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. The Suns, who were favored to sweep the Mavs, pulled one of the biggest and most shocking disappearing acts in NBA history.

Looking back, the legendary LA Lakers big man is now certain that the Suns did the unthinkable in front of their home fans. On an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champion diagnosed what happened in Game 7 of that series:

“When things don’t go right, there’s two things you can do. You can make it right or you can say, ‘Up, it ain’t right.’ And the attitude I saw them play with was ‘Up, it ain’t right,’ there was no fighting, no arguing on the bench, no checking each other, no hidden shots.”

With less than 15 minutes left in Game 7, the Suns are on pace to score 68 total points in their biggest game of the season.

Shaquille O'Neal ripped the Phoenix Suns players for quitting on their franchise in front of a stunned home crowd. Midway through the third quarter, it seemed like Phoenix readily accepted the inevitable, embarrassed by what was happening and wilting to NBA postseason pressure.

What Shaq and the NBA saw on the Suns' bench was in sharp contrast to the Miami Heat bench a few months ago. The Golden State Warriors were humiliating the Heat without Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Before the beatdown was over, the Miami bench nearly erupted in a fistfight.

Longtime Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem and franchise player Jimmy Butler nearly came to blows. Ditto for Butler and the usually calm Erik Spoelstra.

“are you f**king crazy?” https://t.co/xXPsKti9Bf

Shaquille O'Neal also mocked the Phoenix Suns for getting overconfident after zooming in to the best record in the NBA heading into the playoffs. They also smoked the Dallas Mavericks in Games 2 and 5, which could have bloated their swag against a team that several basketball analysts predicted would be swept.

I have never been more wrong. I can’t believe how great the @dallasmavs look — and how pathetically awful the @Suns look. @CP3 & @DevinBooker31 have been no-shows. I can’t believe this

The Suns' loss in Game 7 is one of the most devastating defeats in NBA history. Watching how they bounce back from a catastrophic end to their season will be heavily anticipated when their next campaign starts.

Shaquille O'Neal gives his verdict on the Deandre Ayton benching

Phoenix Suns head coach benched starting center Deandre Ayton for nearly the entire second-half of the blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. [Photo: NBC Sports]

The biggest and quietest scuffle that the Phoenix Suns bench could come up with was a back-and-forth between head coach Monty Williams and Deandre Ayton. Only a few had an idea of what happened on the sidelines between the two, but it seemed like Lil Wayne was one of those who witnessed it.

"You fricking quit on us."

Skip Bayless on what Lil Wayne allegedly overheard during heated Game 7 exchange between Monty Williams and Deandre Ayton. bit.ly/3sFDCA2

Williams reportedly lambasted Ayton for quitting on the team, which only makes Shaquille O'Neal’s analysis more resounding.

The former three-time finals MVP had this to say on the Monty Williams-Deandre Ayton issue:

“When you’re winning, things get disguised but when you’re losing, things start to come out.”

Shaquille O'Neal is insinuating that the tension between the Suns' head coach and their starting center was just simmering beneath the surface. Ayton was allegedly unhappy that the Suns refused to offer a max extension after helping Phoenix reach last year’s NBA finals.

If Ayton indeed quits on his team, it would be hard to imagine that the Suns will look to retain his services.