How Draymond believes Warriors could have matched up vs. Shaq's Lakers
How Draymond believes Warriors could have matched up vs. Shaq's Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
There’s no winning when debating how super teams from different NBA eras would do against one another – but it makes for entertaining conversations.
That is especially the case when the debaters are former (and current) players who’ve never shied away from the limelight, like Draymond Green and Shaquille O’Neal.
The Warriors' veteran forward joined O’Neal on the latest episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq" and discussed how Golden State would’ve matched up against O'Neal and Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers.
And, of course, the legendary big man, as the host of the podcast, took initiative and put the ball in Green’s court with a series of banter-fueled questions.
“Shaq’s Lakers against your Golden State Warriors,” O’Neal told Green. “Seven-game series. You pick any of my championship teams, any of your championship teams.
“Who wins? And the bonus question: Who is guarding me? Please don’t say Andrew Bogut.”
To which the four-time NBA champion quickly responded with unapologetic confidence.
"I don’t think any one player on our team could’ve guarded you,” Green told O’Neal. “I do think there were defensive schemes that we could have thrown at you to affect you.
“One is not letting you get the ball. So we're [going to] guard you with a guy in front of you, a guy behind you..."
O'Neal was quick to interrupt, mentioning to Green that said strategies had already been tried by the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings during his playing days but didn't work.
Green, who was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, cheekily replied, "Yeah I wasn't on the court though."
The debate’s pace quickly picked up, with both stars mentioning on-the-court positioning, wing-span measurements and tactical schemes in efforts to nullify each other's arguments.
Having covered almost everything in the book, including the Lakers' shooting and fouling trouble, O’Neal asked Green who he thinks would win the seven-game series.
“We win the series, for sure,” Green responded.
O’Neal immediately shot it down.
“Draymond, stop it,” O’Neal told Green. “Listen, I love your confidence but there ain’t no way.”
Green responded by asking how the Warriors would lose, which generated a brash response from O’Neal.
“[Because] me,” O’Neal told Green. “And the Kobster [Kobe Bryant] and Big Shot Bob [Robert Horry] and [Brian Shaw].”
As the exchange slowed down, O’Neal asked Green who would guard Bryant. Green responded with Klay Thompson, which nearly prompted O'Neal to abandon the topic altogether before fitting in a set of final words.
"We'll continue this conversation on your podcast," O'Neal told Green, who was in the midst of building a case for Thompson.
"Ain't nobody guarding him, and ain't nobody guarding me," O'Neal told Green. "Ain't nobody guarding Steph ain't nobody guarding Klay. I understand that, but y'all not beating us."
Green rebutted by assuring O’Neal that the Warriors would win within six games before going into playing styles in each era.
As entertaining as it might be, Green and O’Neal ultimately proved that the debate has no true winner – and, apparently, no ending either.
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