Shaquille O’Neal is not one to hold his tongue. The NBA legend, one of the most dominant centers in history, if not the most, has never done so either when he was sweeping the court as a player with his huge body or for years as an NBA commentator for television. And as a good center, he usually gets on well with those who now occupy that position in which he reigned for many years.
Last season he was hard on Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets center, whom he criticized whenever he could. But the Serbian was named MVP of the season and had to shut up. And this season he has taken it out on Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks center.
Shaq does not miss an opportunity to lash out at him with his comments and already in the second game of the series, when the Dominican registered a -20 in the +/- with him on the court, he blamed him for the defeat.
Criticism of the Dominican intensifies
And then came the third game of this Eastern Conference final, and of course, during the first half, in which the Pacers went on to lead by 20 points (55-35) with Karl-Anthony Towns doing more or less ridiculous things (he had scored four points and committed three fouls), his harsh criticism rained down on him, who just after the third act began committed the fourth foul.
“You know that when KAT is playing ‘5’ he can be a double threat: he can play inside and outside. Chuck and I prefer him to play inside, but still you have to be aggressive. We’re down 2-0, Chuck said before the game; you need desperation here. Things like that should never happen,” Shaquille told his broadcasting partner, the legendary Charles Barkley.
Misses a shot from 2.00m, right under the basket, you have to make this, you have to play hard. He’s not playing well, this shot from here to the basket…
And his dart went further when Towns missed a basket almost alone under the Pacers’ hoop:“He misses a shot at 2.00m right under the basket, you have to make this, you have to play hard. He’s not playing well, this shot from here to the hoop” … (while Barkley shouted ‘What the hell was that?’.
If I was playing with him right now we would be fighting in the locker room right now. We’re down 0-2 and you’re shooting 35-footers… and you miss this shot under the basket.
“If I was playing with him right now we would be fighting in the locker room right now. We’re down 0-2 and you’re shooting 35-footers… and you miss this shot under the basket…”, said Shaq criticising the Dominican’s tendency to get out of the zone to shoot three-pointers and after having missed easy baskets near the hoop.
His criticism, at one point, might even be justified, as Towns’ balance in the first three quarters had been pathetic: four measly points and four personal fouls. But the Dominican, against all odds, woke up from his lethargy in the last act scoring 20 points (leading a 5-17 run with 15 points almost in a row) to lead the comeback and the Knicks’ victory.
Shaq, and to a lesser extent Barkley, had to eat their words, but did not retract what they said. And surely in the fourth game of the series (Tuesday at 2:00 am) both will return to the charge against the Knicks center, who portrayed them both with his stellar performance in the last period of the game.
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