Baron Davis, Tyronn Lue, and Draymond Green debate whether the 2001 Lakers with Shaq and Kobe beat the Warriors with Durant and Curry. They argue Shaq was unstoppable because defenses couldn't use zones back then, but modern teams have better coaching and defensive schemes to exploit weaknesses.
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Playing on the Lakers, winning the championship with those two Laker teams, playing against Golden State, uh, losing in the finals, beating them in the finals. Where does those Lakers teams stack up against the Cleveland Cavaliers championship team, the Golden State Warriors championship team with KD? You probably the best person to give some insight because you played on the Lakers. And won a championship with them.
Man, I just don't see nobody like beating the Lakers team. Like I said, when they got KD, I gotta go back and reassess. It just the, what I'm saying, the biggest factor like is Shaq.
Yeah. Like, you know what I mean?
Shaq was just, I mean, no, I'm saying you can't stop him. Like you can't guard him. You know what I mean? And you know, you had, you know, God rest in peace, one of my guys, Mutombo, like I said, Defensive Player of the Year. You know, Shaq averaged 30, what, 36, whatever, in 14 series or something. But like, I mean, it just wasn't no answer for Shaq. Like, okay, say, you know, you had, you were double teaming Kobe or Kobe had a rough night, whatever. There's just, there's no answer for Shaq and you could foul him. But now you got 3 centers playing the game. So you're now your 3rd and 4th string center are playing against Shaq.
Yeah.
Because everybody else gonna foul out or get foul trouble. And now you in the bonus with, you know, 6 minutes ago in every quarter. Like it just, I just don't see an answer for Shaq. And that's like, that's what people don't talk about and understand is his dominance was, you know, unmatched.
I agree. And then you get that backup center, the third string center, they ain't shot blockers. They not, you know what I mean? They may be a little different. So it just kind of softened up the defense. But, you know, I always say it's, you know, I pull favoritism to our era. Just because of, you know, you got Shaq. Shaq was just a dominant player. Kobe was super dominant. But then all of the other players on the team were high-skilled cerebral basketball players that could play basketball, that love to play basketball, that can make adjustments on their own.
You know what I mean?
Yeah. As opposed to, you know, a lot of the modern-day basketball is more so, adjustments from a coaching standpoint. You know, the coaches have to make the adjustments because I think the players are young, right? And so there's a, there's a gap of veterans to young guys, and there's a learning curve that feels like— that's why y'all got so many damn coaches over there on the sidelines to try and help. Is that the case?
I mean, it's a lot of player development going on. You know, and so I do think, like I said, these player development groups that you put together, you see on every team, I think it's very important because you got guys coming in 19, 20, 21 and don't really know how to play the game, you know? And so like our guy, we got Sean Fine, he's amazing. Like, you know, he's him and, you know, Dante Jones and, you know, Jeremy Castle, Cookie, Bo, Connor, all the guys, they put in work every day. Like, Chris Hogan, and you see it paying off. Like, you know, just with our young guy Kai Jones, like he's got better and better and better. Like, you know, so it's important. So I think when you're drafting these young guys, you gotta have guys that is willing to be in the gym, do the, you know, the hard grinding work every single day, and then, you know, mold and get these players to where they want to be. And so I think it is very important.
I just want to, I just want to say something about, uh, I don't even want to talk about the, the championship.
Lakers, Lakers thing.
He couldn't wait to get down. No, I gotta say something about that. I mean, I just gotta say something about that. I find it interesting because, you know, it's a very interesting one. I'll tell you why it's very interesting. Because quite honestly, Shaquille O'Neal is my favorite player of all time. So it's a little challenging for me to be like, yeah, somebody gonna stop Shaq, 'cause it's very hypocritical. To my childhood beliefs and like what I— like how I actually feel. So it's very hypocritical of me to say that. And quite honestly, I don't think any of us could have stopped Shaq. Just like no one else in Shaq's era could stop Shaq. I just don't think that was happening. But I do think we then posed some challenges on the other side for Shaq that— Right. You just can't stand in the paint against us, big fella. Like, and you know, I'm a, again, I am the biggest Shaq fan you gonna find, but you can't just stand in the paint against us. Like, we gonna exploit that. And so what y'all gonna do defensively? And then at, you know, also depends on the time that we playing because, you know, when y'all were playing, that couldn't play zone in the NBA then. Obviously now you can play some zone, but you couldn't play zone then. You know what I'm saying? So that, that also changes it. To where we can really get at Shaq. But in saying that, no, I think, um, I don't really have much of an argument just on the sake of it being Shaq. So I'm gonna let y'all have that.
Okay.
Just on the sake of it being the Big Diesel. Because you right though, ain't nobody stopping Shaq. And it actually pisses me off, man, when people don't try to give Shaq the credit that he deserves. Like, and like, don't talk about Shaq in the light that Shaq is like, it's the most dominant player we've ever seen.
Nah, ever.
Hey, here he is right here, BD. Hey, hey. What's up?
Say that.
Say that.
Oh, DJ!
What's up, y'all? Hey.
Hey.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
That is one of the biggest hacks in summer basketball History. Hey, T-Lou, T-Lou, remember how mad we used to get at Dante, dude, for playing and following people in the gym?
Hey, Draymond, you seen nothing like this, bro.
You seen nothing like this. You shoot, he stays.
See, there you go.
That made my heart warm.
Like, if you, if you ain't— all defenders are hacks.
That man on the other side of the camera said, hey, Draymond Green, one of the biggest hacks on the planet.
That's crazy. I don't even foul that much. The referees just don't like me.
He in here working on Chris Dudley. Chris Dudley out here.
Okay.
Another hack.
Another hack. Chris Dudley a hack.
Teach him your ways, Dante.
Teach him your way.
He definitely a hack. I'm sorry, now what happened? What was going on?
Nah, so yeah, I'll give y'all that. Although I don't think y'all team was as good as ours, but in a matchup, nobody stopping Shaq. But I'll tell you what, You got to come out that paint, big fella, and you might just be looking crazy. That's all I'm gonna say.
Yeah, no, he, I mean, yeah, talent-wise, but like when you got the two best players in the world on the same team, like you said, it just is, you know what I'm saying? Like, okay, we, I mean, only team I saw even do a halfway decent job on Shaq, like you said, was San Antonio. Like, you know, the front and back with David Robinson and, and, um, Tim Duncan, but still, yeah, he still averaged 27, 28, you know what I'm saying? But like, it just, man, it just him and Kobe, man, together like that.
I mean— And Shaq could move. Shaq could move. He wasn't no stiff.
He wasn't a stiff, but he wasn't moving like Shaq had been moving.
What years?
Shaq started getting them later years in LA. He wasn't moving like that no more, man. Shaq started getting heavy. Shaq started rehabbing on company time.
Shaq wasn't moving like that.
That's what he do.
That's what he do.
You think about the 3 stops after that when he went to Miami, Cleveland, Phoenix.
Well, of course he was completely done moving in Miami. Miami year 1, he was straight. Year 2 is when— We gotta stop. I gotta stop. This is gonna come off like I'm hating on Shaq and that'll break my heart. So we gotta stop.
No, you ain't no— I'm saying, like, you got the Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston. You know what I'm saying? With the Lakers, he was still, he was still—
Of course he was still dominant. But again, coming to move them puppies on the wing with KD and Steph and putting them in pin downs with Klay, that's— he wasn't moving like that. He was not doing none of that. He wasn't moving like that. That's all I'm saying.
Gotta have guys that's gonna get through the screens for sure.
Kobe will chase over the screen. Let's see, T-Lou getting nailed by the screen.
No, I'm kidding.
No, T-Lou getting over the screen, man.
That's why Shaq loved playing, because he had to come out the drop. He had to worry about, I'm getting through the screen.
I ain't saying playing against that dude.
It's how you win the game. Like, 'cause you know, he ain't gotta do nothing. You know what I'm saying? But you know what was crazy though? Back in those days, and we was talking about the other day, me and B Show, you know, it was automatic because back in those days you had a 4 and a 5 on each block. You know what I mean? So when the ball hit the wing, whether it was a pick and roll or not, you was automatically in an ice stance.
Yes.
Because it's gonna be a big on the block. And that's what made it easier to guard back then. You know what I'm saying? Yep. You know, you can have a 4 on the block, a 5 on the weak side block, cross screen. But when the ball hit the wing, you automatically jumped in a no middle stance and set it down whether it was a pick and roll or not. And so that was crazy. That was real crazy. But it was easy. But you know, it made your life a lot easier for sure.
