"You gave me a brain fart" - Shaquille O'Neal left befuddled after podcaster's question while discussing drop in NBA ratings
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal continued weighing in on the NBA's early season ratings decline and potential solutions with sports podcaster Dan Patrick. However, when asked about the ramifications of one prospective remedy, the four-time NBA champion was at a loss for words.
On "The Big Podcast with Shaq" last week, O'Neal touched on Front Office Sports' report about the league's viewership trending down to begin the 2024-25 season. The article outlined how the NBA's primetime matchups have garnered worse television ratings than last season's comparable contests.
O'Neal attributed the drop-off to teams attempting too many 3-pointers and not diversifying their offenses enough. He also highlighted Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry's influence on the league's outside shooting revolution.
On Thursday's episode of "The Dan Patrick Show," O'Neal doubled down on his stance. Patrick brought up the idea of removing the 3-point line entirely and asked O'Neal, "Who would be the best team in the NBA?"
The Hall of Famer hesitated before noting that it was difficult to envision the modern-day NBA without 3-point shooting.
"If we took away the 3-point line? That's a good question. I'm not sure," O'Neal said. "You just gave me a brain fart right now. I can't even imagine the teams not shooting 3s."
While O'Neal didn't advocate for the 3-point line's removal, he reiterated that he would like teams "to bring back some creativity to the game."
"When you look at the NBA, every team is running the same play," O'Neal said. "Every team switches one through five, every team is running a dribble handoff. Back in our day, we had plays. So, I don't understand why coaches don't look at their strengths and say, 'Okay, this is the kind of offense we want to run.'"
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Shaquille O'Neal says NBA fans should be frustrated when their favorite teams attempt too many 3-pointers
During his podcast appearance, Shaquille O'Neal mentioned an example of high-volume 3-point shooting being detrimental to a team.
On Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers shot 4-for-42 (9.5%) during their 134-89 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. According to O'Neal, fans should be frustrated when their favorite teams continue hoisting triples even when they're not falling.
"I saw it the other day. I actually got it saved on my phone," O'Neal said. "Portland went 4-for-42 from 3. If I was a fan, I would not want to watch that. So, my point is if you're gonna shoot 9% or whatever it is, why the hell would you even shoot 3s?"
Teams attempting 40-plus treys has become increasingly common, as seven squads are doing so nightly, up from just one last season. So, the NBA may be forced to implement a rule change to curb the trend.
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