For many years, a great debate has been regarding the better team, the 2016-17 Warriors or the 2000-01 Lakers. Both teams hold the two greatest NBA postseason performances of all time. The Lakers went 15-1 in the 2001 playoffs, as the first round was only a best-of-five series. On the other hand, the Warriors iconically went 16-1 as they dominated the competition. One of the biggest voices within the Warriors-Lakers debate is none other than four-time All-Star Draymond Green. The Warriors star has publicly declared that Golden State would reign victorious in a hypothetical matchup. However, the decision isn’t easy as Green admits Shaquille O’Neal is his favorite player of all time. His fandom makes the debate a challenging one.
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In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, the eight-time All-Defensive team member began to share his opinion on a hypothetical Lakers-Warriors matchup. It’s difficult for him to put aside his bias toward O’Neal since he’s his favorite player. He recognizes the challenges that come with guarding Shaq but believes there are challenges to guarding the Warriors as well. Green said,
“It’s very interesting because Shaquille O’Neal is my favorite player of all time. So it’s a little challenging for me to be like somebody is going to stop Shaq. Quite honestly, I don’t think any of us could stop Shaq. But I do think we then pose some challenges on the other side for Shaq. You can’t just stand in the paint against us.”
The majority of basketball fans consider O’Neal the most dominant player ever and for good reason. Aside from his tremendous stats, he forced teams to have at least three big men on the roster. This was to accommodate for potential foul trouble against him. The one position the Warriors have always been thin at is at center, which Shaq would take extreme advantage of.
However, Green believes that there are two sides to the coin. Although Shaq is dominant on offense, he’ll be in an unfamiliar position when defending the Warriors. Golden State can play a five-out offense, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Green. O’Neal would constantly be on the move and couldn’t camp in the paint to contest shots like he did in his career.
Additionally, Green pointed out that the biggest factor of a matchup would be the era in which it took place. The rules that the teams would have to abide by could change the results drastically.
The hypothetical matchup is illogical
It is practically impossible to pit these two teams against each other because of the differences in rules. In the early 2000s, defenses were able to be more physical since hand-checking was legal. However, in modern basketball, the rules favor the offensive players more, as defenders can’t be as physical.
The only way to evaluate this argument is to establish an era in which the game will take place. As a result, the winner could change due to rules that favor one team over the other. For example, the Lakers would have a higher chance of beating the Warriors with early 2000s rules. On the other hand, the Warriors would thrive against the Lakers with modern NBA rules.
In the end, the conversation about a hypothetical matchup is purely for entertainment, as it will never happen. However, it’s a great way to continue to carry on the legacy of two of the greatest teams in NBA history.
