Moses Malone is one of the greatest big men in the NBA. He was a monster on both sides of the floor, as well as his ferociousness on the offensive glass.
His stature has prompted many comparisons from the succeeding batch of great bigs. When Shaquille O'Neal started making a name for himself as the next great center, Malone was asked how he would fare against the Big Diesel.
Moses vs Shaq
Tony Wylie, a close friend of Malone, told a great story when he asked the one-time champion about Shaq. Wylie fantasized about how a battle between the two titans would've resulted if they faced in the same era. The three-time league MVP claimed O'Neal would've been easy work since Moses is used to facing great centers.
"He said, 'Shoot, Tony, I would foul him out,'" Wyllie said , per ESPN. "He alluded to he would've outworked Shaq. In his day, he used to go up against Bob Lanier and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. Every team had a center, he had to work both ends of the floor. At the end of the day, he had to get a massage from his wife because playing against the big men would take a toll on him."
The 1983 NBA Finals MVP raised a good observation. While Shaq was a beast on offense, he struggled at times on defense. He was slow at times and was often caught with his hands in the cookie jar.
O'Neal has a total of 4,146 personal fouls — 10th most in NBA history. He even fouled out several times when the Lakers needed him the most. Fortunately, Kobe Bryant was there to carry the Lakers to victory.
Related: "I remember him sitting in the bathroom close to tears" - Doc opened up about a heartbreaking way Shaq's career ended
In defense of Shaq
While Malone seemed extremely confident in facing Big Diesel, his contemporaries seemed to believe that O'Neal would give him his money's worth .
Julius "Dr. J" Erving recalled how Malone abused Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1983 NBA Finals. If the skyhook master could not contain Malone, Erving said, "none of those other guys could have."
However, a thought came to Erving's mind: Big Aristotle's size, brute strength, and relentless physicality. O'Neal's sharp and heavy elbow could slow down Big Mo. However, Dr. J believes this would fire up his former teammate more.
"Maybe Shaq, throwing an elbow, knocking some teeth out, or whatever, but it wasn't going to take Moses out of the game. He was going to get back up and hit him back," he added .
Obviously, we'll never know how the matchup will pan out. It's just one of those fantasy duels that's great to talk about. Who's your bet?
Related: Shaquille O'Neal on getting recruited by Dale Brown: "This MF grabbed me like he found the biggest black diamond ever"
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