With four potential Western Conference Playoff teams facing off tonight, the crew of TNT Tuesdays took the opportunity to share their outlook on the upcoming postseason. Big Diesel Shaquille O’Neal chimed in on the hierarchy in the West, outlining why the OKC Thunder have a target on their backs.
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Holding an 8.5-game advantage over the second and the third seed, the Thunder seem to be a lock for the #1 seed. According to O’Neal, they should head into the Playoffs with the expectation that teams will be gunning hard to pull off an upset.
During his prime in LA, Shaq’s team only finished as the #1 seed once. But during that 1999-2000 campaign, his Lakers certainly didn’t seem fazed by any matchups as they capped off the season by winning the first of their three consecutive championships.
However, O’Neal doesn’t recommend that strategy for the current roster in LA. He believes that JJ Redick’s side should instead be conscious about who they match up with early in the Playoffs.
“If I’m the Lakers, 40-year-old LeBron [James], I don’t wanna go up against Jalen Green and those guys. I’d rather go up against Denver, I’d rather go up against the team that’s not gonna be flying,” Shaq added.
"You do not wanna go up against Denver if you're the Lakers" 👀@SHAQ & @Candace_Parker look at the potential playoff matchups in the West 🍿 pic.twitter.com/MhVbnAa548
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 26, 2025
While the Purple and Gold have been quick to celebrate their dominant defensive performance against the Nuggets on Saturday, Candace Parker was equally quick to remind the faithful that Nikola Jokic has typically had their number.
In fact, before the 123-100 win in Denver last weekend, the Lakers had lost their previous five regular season matchups against Jokic & Co. And that is not to include the Nuggets’ elimination of LA in the past two postseasons.
Despite the data points, O’Neal stood his ground, explaining, “40 years old, I don’t wanna be playing against no young team flying up and down.”
While Houston’s roster does boast a number of athletic, young and fast-paced athletes, they have been a slower team than Denver this season. With 98.9 possessions per 48 minutes, Ime Udoka’s side rank 21st in pace. The Nuggets, on the other hand, rank fifth with 101 possessions per 48.
The Diesel is among the few pundits who consider the Rockets a legitimate threat. Most analysts point to their offensive inconsistencies and inexperience as potential roadblocks to postseason success. And as Parker further added, “The game slows down in the Playoffs.”
Currently, O’Neal’s former team holds the fourth spot in the heated Western Conference. If the season were to end today, their first round opponents would be the fifth seeded Houston Rockets. The Denver Nuggets are currently tied for the second seed with the Grizzlies. Of course, a lot can change over the coming 45 days as the second and fifth seeds in the West are separated by just 2 games.
