Shaquille O’Neal is a big guy who can make it hard for opposing centers to attempt to get a shot off of him. However, ‘The Diesel’ knows he has to be careful since he could be called for a foul while defending opponents.
In the 2001 NBA Finals, it was important for the Los Angeles Lakers to have O’Neal on the court. Unfortunately, he ran into some trouble defending Dikembe Mutombo of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Great acting job
For the good part of the series, Mutombo used his wits to outsmart the ‘Big Aristotle.’ He managed to draw fouls and convince game officials to blow their whistle. But in the opinion of O’Neal, Dikembe was doing a great job ‘flopping.’
“I didn't think the best defensive player in the game would be flopping like he did," O'Neal argued via UPI . "That's a shame that the referees buy into that. I wish he'd stand up and play me like a man instead of flopping and crying every time I back him down,” the 2000 NBA MVP added.
The Diesel was miffed after fouling out in Game 3 of the 2001 NBA Finals. Regardless, Robert Horry stepped up for the Purple and Gold, helping LA take a 2-1 lead in the series.
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Mutombo denied the allegations
Mutombo caught word of O’Neal’s accusations at the time. As far as he is concerned, he does look up to the LSU product. However, he clarified that Shaq’s accusations were ridiculous.
“I have a lot of respect for Shaquille O'Neal, but for him coming up and trying to accuse me of something, I think it's so ridiculous,” the 4th overall pick of the 1991 NBA Draft said.
Mutombo would lash back at O’Neal, clarifying that flopping was not part of his game. He cited his four NBA DOP awards as proof. The Sixers center justified that if that was how he played, it was unlikely he would be recognized for his defensive talent.
Seeing how he was struggling to stay in the game, the comments made by O’Neal may have been out of frustration. Regardless, the two behemoths would go at it for the remainder of the series.
In the end, O’Neal would still get his numbers. He averaged 33.0 points in that series, along with 15.8 rebounds, leading the Lakers to the NBA title in 5 games.
As far as Mutombo, he made a good account for himself backing up the Sixers’ main guy, Allen Iverson. The Georgetown product averaged 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds in that series. Only he and Eric Snow (12.6 points) gave A.I. the needed support. Compared to the firepower the Lakers had, it was simply not enough to bag the title.
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