Shaq believes Warriors, Lakers can beat Thunder in NBA playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame selection and former 19-year NBA veteran Shaquille O’Neal always has something to say, for better or worse.
And most recently, the four-time NBA champion spoke highly of the Warriors.
In Friday’s “Inside the NBA” segment on NBA on TNT, O’Neal offered Golden State and Los Angeles Lakers fans hope despite their teams’ lowly seeding in the Western Conference standings.
The retired center believes the Warriors and Lakers “could” or “can” take down the Oklahoma City Thunder if they match up in the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Thunder are the West’s No. 2 seed, while the No. 9 Lakers and No. 10 Warriors are nearing another meeting in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
O’Neal likely has this inclination due to the Thunder being a young and inexperienced team compared to the aging Warriors and Lakers.
Led by a 25-year-old guard and Kia NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City doesn’t have a starter outside of him and Luguentz Dort with postseason experience.
Contrarily, Golden State still has its four-time NBA championship core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr, while Los Angeles’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain.
The two California franchises are led by players closer to 40 years old than 20, whereas 15 of Oklahoma City’s 18 players fall under 30, with all five of its starters younger than 25.
O’Neal and fans alike are familiar with seeing Golden State roll past young and promising teams.
Just last season, the Warriors defeated the then-No. 3-seeded Kings in seven games during the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, when Sacramento was, and still is, led by young players such as De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray.
Golden State also defeated Boston to win the 2022 NBA Finals, a matchup where Curry and Co. outperformed young Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
O’Neal’s claim isn’t outlandish when considering the Warriors’ track record. Golden State simply has an unrivaled résumé compared to Oklahoma City.
While the Warriors can threaten the NBA’s youngest and brightest, they still need an answer for the overwhelming favorite across league history: Father Time.
But first, Golden State has a matchup with Los Angeles on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT at Crypto.com Arena.
