Shaquille O’Neal Explains Picking the Nuggets to Beat Thunder, Citing a Surprising Factor Beyond Nikola Jokić

The Denver Nuggets took care of business against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 to secure their spot in the second round of the playoffs. Their next opponent will be the NBA’s best, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup would pit the two top candidates for the MVP award — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nikola Jokic.

Although the Thunder have been better than the Nuggets this season, Shaquille O’Neal believes Denver will pull off an upset victory and progress. However, Shaq’s reasoning went beyond the obvious factor — Jokić.

Denver showcased their full potential in their 120-101 Game 7 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, they won’t have much time to rest before Game 1 against the OKC. They will hit the court on Monday (May 5, 9:30 PM ET), just two days after beating LA. The Thunder, on the other hand, haven’t played a game since April 26.

Jokić has been through the grueling grind of the playoffs, while Shai has only been through a few runs. Of course, rest will play a key role, but won’t be the deciding factor.

Both teams are led by MVP-caliber players and boast some good players on their rosters. And the team that clicks as a unit right from the opening game will have an edge.

One thing is for sure: the battle between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić will be must-watch TV, according to Kenny Smith.

The Inside The NBA crew, along with Smith, spoke on their early predictions for the Nuggets vs. Thunder series. O’Neal is leaning toward the Nuggets for two reasons. One is his belief in Jokić, and the other is in Russell Westbrook, a former OKC star.

“I’m leaning towards Denver,” O’Neal said. “I’d like to see Russ get a championship. And Joker being part of the big man elites.”

Westbrook spent 11 seasons with the Thunder and became the face of the franchise. To this day, he remains arguably the most beloved player to play in Oklahoma City. However, he will have to put his love for his former team aside and focus on the task at hand.

Unlike O’Neal, Barkley’s faith is with the Thunder. His reason isn’t solely due to how great OKC is. But the skill level of the rest of the competition is what makes him term the Thunder as unstoppable in the West this postseason.

“I have not seen anything in the Western Conference that makes me think anybody is going to beat OKC,” Barkley said.

OKC has all the boxes covered. They outclassed the Memphis Grizzlies and will now look to impose their will on the Nuggets.

The Thunder had the best record (68-14) in the league. Shai is in hot form too. Against Memphis, he averaged 27.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 40.2 percent from the field.

However, the two teams went 2-2 in their four regular-season matchups. They may be more evenly matched than people think.