Shaquille O’Neal believes the Golden State Warriors still have it in them to bounce back despite trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 3-1 in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
“Oh, it’s still great… You’ve got to put the champs away,” Shaq said on Inside the NBA. “Champs ain’t gonna lay down. This ain’t Memphis, the champs ain’t gonna lay down. Steph Curry, the greatest shooter in our game, missed those last two shots.”
He further added: “You don’t think he’s gonna be pi**ed off? And he’s a dog, when dogs get pi**ed off, they come ready to play the next game.”
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It’s worth noting that the Warriors have not trailed 3-1 since their 2016 Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, they did rally back in spectacular fashion to win the series in Game 7.
But now, they face a similar challenge, but against a relatively stronger opponent in the Lakers, who have beaten them with their depth and defense. While Stephen Curry has been in pristine form, the supporting unit has misfired leading to the Warriors’ collapse in Games 3 and 4. But Shaq has always been the one to read the game between the lines, and it remains to be seen if Golden State can stage a comeback.
Unlike Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley Believes The Warriors Are Done
In sharp contrast to Shaq, his TNT show co-host, Charles Barkley, feels the Warriors are pretty much done for the season and the Lakers would advance to the next round.
“They’re cooked. This series is over. Whether in five or six, it’s over,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “I think the Lakers did a fabulous job of making Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) work, they’re attacking them. Because they know that’s the two guys they got to worry about. They attacked them every single time in the half-court.”
He further added that the Lakers had expertly read their plans. “They run a pick-and-roll every time. They’re trying to guard LeBron (James); he’s going at Klay, he’s going at Steph and when the game was on the line, a guy named Lonnie Walker had his way… They are doing a fabulous job of attacking Klay and Steph and their shooting percentages show that.”
With three games left in the series, the Warriors face an uphill climb. But again, they are the defending champions and they have been in this scenario before, so a miraculous comeback cannot be ruled out, not until they are truly down and out.
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