The NBA Playoffs are a different beast. With stakes so high, physicality ramps up, and emotions start playing a bigger role. When every possession matters so much, the intensity often leads to moments that blur the line between aggressive and dirty play. A prime example of that came during Game 2 of the Lakers vs. Timberwolves series when Luka Doncic was tripped by Jaden McDaniels.
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In the fourth quarter, Luka was defending against McDaniels in the paint. However, the Timberwolves forward managed to get the shot in while falling.
As Luka was trying to move out of the way, McDaniels locked his legs while lying on the floor, causing the Laker to hit the floor hard. The play sparked instant reaction, not just from Luka and the fans, but from Inside the NBA’s hosts as well. As the crew was watching the tape, Barkley was quick to label it as a ‘dirty play.’
The NBA legend wasn’t happy with what McDaniels did as he believed it could’ve led to something dangerous, and it was unnecessary. He said, “That’s a dirty play right there…When you whoop somebody like that, that’s a dirty play.” Shaq, on the other hand, stood his ground in defense of McDaniels.
Shaq said, “That ain’t no dirty play.” As the argument started heating up between the two, Shaq reminded Chuck of his NBA days and his style of playing. He said, “You did [play dirty].” In fairness, Chuck was no stranger to extremely physical, borderline rough play during his career. He enjoyed the physicality aspect of the game, which also made him as great as he was.
However, this time, he believes that McDaniels crossed a line. As per Chuck, no matter how intense the situation is, having excessive and unnecessary contact with a player should not be allowed. Despite his numerous attempts to label McDaniel’s play as ‘dirty,’ Shaq refused to see it the same way.
Now, the big fella was also an extremely physical player back in the day. In fact, physicality was the dominating factor in his game. In addition to that, he understands that playoffs require players to give their 100% on every outing. So, he was backing McDaniels’ decision. He said, “It’s the playoffs.”
Regardless of what McDaniels tried to do and whether it was “dirty” or not, Luka Doncic had the last laugh. He had another explosive first quarter with 16 points and ended the 94-85 game with nearly a triple-double. He scored 31 points with 12 rebounds and 9 assists to level the series.
