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Shaquille O'Neal Spill Beans on What He Said in Lakers' Huddle Before Game 3 of the 2001 Finals
Shaquille O'Neal was always a fierce competitor on the court and wanted to win everyone and that's why no one was surprised when Diesel was furious before 2001 NBA finals.
The Philadelphia 76ers were defeated 4-1 by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 Finals. However, the Lakers appeared to be in for a tough seven-game series in the early going, especially after they dropped their first postseason game in Game 1 of the finals.
Although the Sixers continued to project confidence and believed they could have taken a 2-0 lead if not for injuries and multiple missed free throws, Los Angeles had already won Game 2. Shaquille O'Neal made sure his team was prepared to win the away game prior to Game 3.
What did Shaq say?
Shaq said to his teammates, "Fu*k these muthafu*kas! Get in their a**! I will kill you little a** out here."
Why Shaq was so angry?
After the two meetings in the 2001 Finals, O'Neal had every right to be furious at both his team and the opponents. After winning the first three postseason series, they were expected to decimate the Sixers.
But Allen Iverson had other ideas. He outscored Shaq 48–44 to help Philly win 107–101 in overtime. Given that the Lakers were coming off a 10-day break because the Eastern Conference Finals went to overtime, rust might have contributed to their defeat.
Shaq's dominance in the series
The Sixers put up a fight in the third meeting but ultimately lost 96-91. Shaq finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks before fouling out. In the last two games, the Lakers easily prevailed, with O'Neal setting the standard for the Lake Show.
Eventually, he won MVP and, by terrorizing four-time Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo. By doing this, Shaq registered his name in the history of the NBA as one of the most dominant stars of the league.
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