Old School Lakers vs. New School Warriors

The 2017-18 Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 4-0 sweep. Historically, the Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant duo played a dominant role in leading the Warriors to become a dominant brand of basketball. However, Kenyon Martin, a retired NBA player with experience playing in the NBA Finals, believes the 2018 Warriors squad isn't unbeatable.

On the Gil's Arena show, 2018 NBA champion Nick Young claimed the team was the best in the NBA's history. However, Martin remembered the damage the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers did on the New Jersey Nets, as Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant swept them in the 2002 NBA Finals.

"Nobody beating Steph and KD together," Young began his case, followed by rattling off the roster with veteran talent.

Martin, seemingly unimpressed, evoked O'Neal into the conversation: "The 2001, 2002, 2003 version of Shaq, who f*** is going to guard him from ya'll team?" Martin asked Young.

O'Neal was one of the most dominant players of all time. The Lakers superstar crushed opposing centers and put teams into foul trouble due to his explosiveness at the rim and the sheer strength to endure hard-hitting fouls. Regarding a fantasy matchup between the early 2000s Lakers vs. the 2017-18 season, the Warriors center depth chart raises a solid point from Martin.

No one on the team could guard O'Neal, at least not consistently.

However, three is more than two, and the 2018 Warriors had enough players with 3-point range to make it hard for O'Neal to try to close out on switches.

The conversation got out of hand when Young asked who would guard Curry. Martin responded with Derek Fisher, as he's known for chasing through screens and being physical.

However, playing physically on Curry is not reinventing the wheel and doesn't necessarily work. To believe Fisher could hold Curry to a significantly lower score is a perfect example of being stuck in the past.

Although Martin's claim that no one on the Warriors can guard O'Neal has legs, stating Fisher and Rick Fox could guard Curry and Durant doesn't resonate with advanced stats or even the eye test.

Related: Gilbert Arenas Double-Down on Awful Stephen Curry Take

Again, although Gilbert Arenas wasn't on this episode of Gil's Arena, the show took a wild turn, as it's on-brand for the podcast.