All things considered, Shaquille O'Neal was simply the most devastating offensive force in NBA history. No matter what you tried, double teams, viscous fouling, or trash-talking, none worked. The 2000 league MVP treated most defenders like ragdolls. He threw people out of the way. He frustrated opposing coaches. He perplexed referees. For those reasons, veteran NBA head coach Larry Brown had seen enough: Shaq was a basketball specimen unlike any other.
"This guy is as good as it gets," Brown said during the 2001 NBA Finals. "And I've never seen a better player in my life. I mean that." (h/t ESPN.com )
The Philadelphia 76ers had a pretty good player in Allen Iverson . While the Sixers guard dominated in his own little-big ways, it was O'Neal's forceful dominance that coach Brown's defense had no answers for. While "The Diesel" was upstaged by Iverson's 48 points to his 44 points in Game 1, Philly knew they needed a prayer to pull off another game like that, let alone win the series.
"He is probably the most dominant player in the game not only right now, but probably ever," Sixers guard Eric Snow said . "It may be hard to believe, but people don't give him enough credit for what he does. The more you play somebody in a series, the more you can appreciate what a guy like that can do. And let me tell you, I appreciate it now."
Too much to handle
Philadelphia put together an 11-3 first-quarter run against Los Angeles. Feeling good early about their chances, Brown tried leaving O'Neal one-on-one for a couple plays to see what it could get him.
When Kobe Bryant fed O'Neal the basketball, he had Dikembe Mutombo on him. Going right to work, No. 34 took three hard dribbles as he drilled his shoulder into Mutombo. He turned to his left side, put his head down, and slammed the ball, along with his defender's feelings. All the Sixers center could do was look at the official in embarrassment, as he thought to himself: 'What more can I do?'
"I've always been a reactionist," O'Neal said. I always told my guys, 'Throw me the ball. Let me lead the way. They're not gonna double me, let me do the work. If they double me, I'll kick it out to you guys to hit the shots.
Two alpha males leading the way
As Game 3 came to a close, Bryant snatched a final rebound and fittingly clenched his fist in victory. The guard had his fingerprints all over the game, especially when authoring the biggest basket of the night. As Eric Snow came over to nudge Bryant on his drive to the basket, No. 8 swept the ball up as he jumped in the air through multiple white shirts to convert a floater — giving L.A. a decided edge.
The Lakers, led by Kobe's 32 points, won in Philadelphia to give them a 2-1 series lead. Without O'Neal in the lineup, the 22-year-old guard made his case for one of the top players in the world. And while no one ranked him ahead of his 7'2" teammate, his fiery desire to be regarded as the game's most gifted player drove O'Neal to new heights.
"He and Kobe have been going back and forth this postseason about who's the best player in the world, but to me, it starts with Shaq," Lakers forward Rick Fox said . "As he goes, we go. He came into this series so focused and so determined and it has showed. When he is motivated about something like that, it's refreshing for me to know we're on the same team."
En route to a second straight title, Bryant gave his teammate fierce competition. He averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. That caliber stat line had rarely been seen for a player his age. While numbers like that will put you on top of most conversations, even Bryant couldn't unseat Shaq's 30.4 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. But one thing was for sure: the two formed the league's best duo and maybe the most explosive scoring tandem ever.
Related: "I wish he would stand up and play me like a man" - Shaquille O'Neal blasted Dikembe Mutombo's defense during the 2001 Finals
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