Shaquille O’Neal was presumably probably the most dominant pressure that we’ve got ever seen on an NBA courtroom, and he was on the peak of his energy within the early 2000s. He was so dominant, the truth is, that the Portland Path Blazers despatched him to the free throw line 25 occasions in a single quarter of a playoff recreation in Could 2000.

The Lakers have been on the hunt for his or her first championship in 12 years in 2000, they usually had defeated the Kings and Suns within the first two rounds of the playoffs in an effort to qualify for the Western Convention Finals. However of their method stood a Path Blazers staff filled with veteran gamers who had misplaced simply two video games over the primary two sequence of the postseason.

On This Day: Blazers Strive The Hack-A-Shaq

HACK-A-SHAQ
23 years in the past at this time, SHAQ tried a playoff report 25 FTS in a single quarter throughout a win vs the Blazers!

FINAL STATS
Shaq: 41 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 5 BLK
Sabonis: 0 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 BLK pic.twitter.com/0gMtOQTZHW

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) Could 20, 2023

The sequence wound up being a 7-game epic, by which the Lakers wound up being victorious because of a 13-point comeback within the 4th quarter of the ultimate recreation.

Nevertheless it was throughout Recreation 1 that an NBA report was set, one that may doubtless by no means be damaged.

Shaq was dominating within the first recreation between the 2 sides. The Lakers heart had 29 factors by way of the primary 42 minutes of the sport, and was placing Blazers defenders right into a blender on seemingly each possession. Head coach Mike Dunleavy determined to strive a brand new strategy, having his gamers foul O’Neal each time he received the ball as a substitute.

Portland was down by 13 with underneath 6 minutes left in Recreation 1 when the experiment began. The Lakers have been by no means capable of get into any offensive circulate, as Blazers facilities fouled O’Neal earlier than any play might develop. They thought that his poor free throw taking pictures would in the end lead to fewer factors for Los Angeles with much less time eaten off of the clock.

Kobe Bryant to Shaq

📸 2000 NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/vzSVotaZAF

— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) January 10, 2023

The tactic would show to be helpful in spots sooner or later, however Shaq hit too a lot of his free throws that day to permit a comeback from Portland. O’Neal shot 25 free throws within the closing quarter, 24 of which got here after the 6-minute mark. He made 13 of the 25, which was sufficient to permit the Lakers to carry on for a 109-94 victory because the Blazers struggled offensively within the body.

It was a final gasp try and include the dominance of Shaquille O’Neal, one thing that groups across the NBA tried to do within the following handful of years. However the Lakers would go on to win the primary of three straight titles that 12 months, and Shaq was nonetheless one of the vital worthwhile gamers within the league regardless of his struggles from the road.

NBA Betting Guides You Could Like