NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s comments about the Golden State Warriors got a laugh from Charles Barkley.
The Warriors were beaten by the LA Lakers in their Game Four match of the Western Conference semi-finals on Monday. It means that the reigning NBA champions now trail the series 3-1 going into Wednesday’s Game Five.
LeBron James scored 27 points as the Lakers won 104-101 at the Crypto.com Arena, with Anthony Davis (23) and Austin Reaves (21) in support with further points. Lonnie Walker IV was the surprise star in Game Four, with 15 points in 27 minutes from the bench and an impressive fourth quarter performance.
Warriors star Steph Curry, however, was the highest scorer of the game despite being on the losing side. He racked up 31 points with 10 rebounds and 14 assists, but could not stop the Lakers from claiming a crucial victory in the battle to reach the Western Conference Finals.
O’Neal, a four-time NBA Champion and Hall of Famer, was appearing as an analyst alongside Barkley for the 'Inside the NBA' show on TNT. O’Neal was asked about the Warrior’s chances of overcoming a 3-1 deficit, and his response forced a laugh from Barkley, also an NBA Hall of Famer.
“It’s still great,” said O’Neal. “Their chances are great,” he added, while Barkley laughed in the background. “You going up against the champs. You gotta put the champs away. Champs ain’t gonna lay down, this ain’t Memphis.
“Steph Curry, greatest shooter in our game misses the last 2 shots, you don’t think he’s gonna be p***** off? He’s a dog, when dogs get p***** off they come ready to play the next game.”
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O’Neal went on to explain why the chance to defeat James will serve as extra motivation for the Warriors in Game Five later this week.
“They probably saying ‘you know what? Remember when we had them 3-1 and they came back? Now it’s our chance to get LeBron back’. They still have a chance, they have to go home, they have to play well and they will play well… Even though they’re down 3-1, they’re not worried.”
The series goes to Game Five in San Francisco on Wednesday, where a Lakers win would see the defending NBA champions bow out at the conference semi-finals stage. The winner between the Lakers and the Warriors will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals later this month.
