Top 3 playoffs series where Shaquille O'Neal averaged more than 32 points
One of the greatest players of all time, Shaquille O'Neal was a force of nature unlike ever seen before in the NBA. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar won four championships in his illustrious career and picked up the Finals MVP award three times. Shaq, in tandem with Kobe Bryant, formed one of the greatest duos the NBA has ever seen.
While being the most dominant player in the history of the game, Shaquille O'Neal was also a man for the big moments. Shaq came up with clutch performances time and time again while playing for franchises like the Lakers, Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic.
With that said, here we look at the top three playoff series where Shaquille O'Neal averaged more than 32 points per game.
#3. Vs Sacramento Kings, 2001 - 33.3 points per game
Going into the 2000-01 NBA season, all eyes were on Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers, as the defending champions held aspirations to repeat as title holders. In the Western Conference Semifinals, Shaq went up against the Sacramento Kings as the Diesel averaged 33.3 points and17.3 rebounds all the while shooting better than 59% from the field.
Dirk Nowitzki & Shaquille O'Neal: 6th and 7th all-time in scoring; very different paths to scoring those points: https://t.co/pF5kgnk9VP
The Lakers went on to sweep the Sacramento Kings in four games as Shaq's best performance of the series came in the series opener where the big man dropped 44 points and collected 21 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 53% from the field. The Lakers won that game by just a single possession despite Shaq's dominant performance.
#2. Vs New Jersey Nets, 2002 - 36.3 points per game
The series resulted in another clean sweep by the Los Angeles Lakers against the New Jersey Nets (Brooklyn Nets). But this was the biggest stage of them all - NBA Finals. Shaquille O'Neal averaged 36.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in this series against the Nets while shooting the ball better than 59% from the floor. He also had 3.8 assists per game.
Shaquille O'Neal’s stats during the Lakers three-peat, 2000-2002
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35.8 PPG
15.2 RPG
3.5 APG
2.9 BPG
59 FG%
Pure dominance🔥 https://t.co/6E9O6P57Pq
Shaq's best performance of the series came in Game 2 where the big man dropped 40 points, dished 8 assists and collected 12 rebounds while shooting the ball over 60% from the field. Remarkably, he went to the free throw line 14 times in that game and made 12 of them. It was a complete performance from Shaq as the Lakers beat the Nets 106-83.
#1. Vs Indiana Pacers, 2000 - 38 points per game
En route to winning the NBA championship for the first time, Shaquille O'Neal led the LA-based franchise against the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals. Shaq averaged a whopping 38 points and 16.7 rebounds in that series while shooting the ball better than 61% from the field. It was a complete and utter dominance from the big man in that series.
Shaq started off the series in tremendous fashion by recording 43 points, 19 rebounds and 40 points and 24 rebounds in games one and two respectively. The standards didn't drop one bit as Shaq led the scoring in every game and eventually went on to win his first NBA title and Finals MVP award. Shaquille O'Neal also played over a whopping 45 minutes a night in that series, as the Lakers beat the Pacers in six games.