Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green had quite the debate on ‘The Big Podcast’, talking about which one of their championship teams from 2000 for the Lakers and 2015 for the Warriors would win if they ever faced off. Draymond laid out his reasons and explanations for how they would stop Shaq and win the game. However, Shaq was not having it, and let Draymond know.
Shaq: “Shaq’s Lakers against your Golden State Warriors, any of my champion teams, any of your championship teams, who wins? And bonus question, who the f*ck guarding me. Please don’t say Andrew f*cking Bogut.”
Draymond: “I don’t think any one player on our team could have guarded you. I do think there were defensive schemes that we could have thrown at you to affect you. One is not letting you get the ball. So we’re going to guard you with a guy in front of you and a guy behind you.”
Shaq: “They did that.”
Draymond: “Yeah, yeah… I wasn’t on the court though.”
Shaq: “All right, so what you gonna do? Stand behind me?”
Draymond: “I’m standing in the front. Ain’t no ball getting to you.”
Shaq: “What you mean the ball ain’t getting to me?”
Draymond: “I’m not 6 feet.”
Shaq: “But you ain’t 7 feet.”
Draymond: “I got a 7’4-7’3 wingspan.”
Shaq: “And I got a 9-foot wingspan.”
Draymond: “But you can’t get the ball through me. Andrew Bogut’s behind. I’m in the front.”
Shaq: “Stop it.”
O’Neal didn’t buy Draymond and Bogut being able to stop him, correctly pointing out that Bogut would get into foul trouble trying to guard him. However, Draymond also noted that he couldn’t guard Shaq, but could force him to play a different way, and even coax him into a fight that gets them both ejected, something that would hurt the Lakers more than it would hurt the Warriors. Shaq then asked Draymond who would guard Kobe Bryant and was not impressed when Draymond responded with Klay Thompson.
Draymond: “We leaving somebody over there to shoot because you motherf*ckers couldn’t shoot.”
Shaq: “However, Bogut going to be in foul trouble, now who’s your backup center?”
Draymond: “Me.”
Shaq: “Draymond, stop.”
Draymond: “Shaq, I don’t think I could have guarded you, I’m not saying that. However, you would have had to bring your big a** out of that drop. Man if you stayed back there, I’mma nail whoever guarding Steph, I’mma nail whoever guarding Klay and we’re gonna dot your I every play.”
Shaq: “Okay, but you know what’s gonna happen after that? I’mma tell D-Fish (Derek Fisher) to get up on them, let them drive. And I’mma lay his little a** out.”
Draymond: “Hey, then we gotta fight.”
Shaq: “Alright, we just gotta fight then.”
Draymond: “And guess what? You getting thrown out of the game, and me getting thrown out of the game, who’s that going to hurt worse? Your team. Then y’all lose.”
Shaq: “So I guess we not gonna fight then… Who guarding Kobe?”
Draymond: “Klay.”
Draymond Green says that if the championship-winning Warriors were to play Shaq’s Lakers, he would not allow Shaq to get the ball
Shaq: “Who guarding Kobe?”
Draymond: “Klay”
Shaq: “🤨”
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/rYZwqlcCGO) pic.twitter.com/6YG0uak4Us
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 22, 2024
Draymond made some very good points about guarding Shaq. While he understood his own limitations when it comes to size and strength compared to Shaq, he knew that there were other ways to slightly neutralize the threat that the Diesel posed when he was on the court.
Furthermore, despite Shaq’s dismissal of Klay Thompson guard Kobe Bryant, that is actually a good choice. Prior to his injuries, and during the Warriors’ peak, Klay Thompson was one of the best defenders in the NBA. He even did a good job guarding players like LeBron James during the Warriors’ run to the championship.
2000 Lakers vs. 2015 Warriors: Who Would Win Between The Two Teams?
It is hard to pick an outright winner between the two teams in a simple comparison. It also matters which era the two teams would have faced off in. If they were playing in the era of the Lakers, it would be easy for the Shaq-led Lakers to defeat the Warriors, as Phil Jackson’s triangle offense would be too much to overcome for the Warriors.
However, if they played in the Warriors’ era, Golden State would have a significant advantage, as they would not be allowed to play with nearly the same physicality that they did during the 2000s. Furthermore, Golden State’s ability to shoot was unmatched even in their era, and the 2000 Lakers did not have any players that could shoot from three the way Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson could.
The 2000 Lakers went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers in six games to win the NBA championship. Shaquille O’Neal averaged a monstrous 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks, while Kobe Bryant averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during the series.
As for the 2015 Warriors, they beat a hobbled yet formidable Cleveland Cavaliers team in six games to win the NBA championship. Stephen Curry averaged 26.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds, while Klay Thompson averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Draymond Green was the enforcer for the Warriors, averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 2.2 steals per game. Andre Iguodala was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Regardless of which team you think is better, there is no denying that these are two of the greatest teams in NBA history, and achieved incredible success in the league. The Lakers went on to three-peat, winning championships in 2001 and 2002. The Warriors would win three more championships between 2017 to 2022. Players like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green had their legacies secured thanks to the success these teams achieved during their peaks.
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