Pulling no punches… So what else is new? Shaquille O’Neal isn’t exactly known for sugar-coating things—especially when it comes to how big men play the game. And after watching Karl-Anthony Towns launch a long-range missile early in Game 3 of the Knicks vs. Pacers playoff series, Shaq went full Diesel on Inside the NBA.
The New York Knicks came into the game down 0-2 in the series and desperately needing a win. So when Towns—a center, mind you—pulled up from 32 feet out with 17 seconds still on the shot clock, the reaction from Shaq was swift, fiery, and very Shaq.
“He’s not playing well,” O’Neal said bluntly as the halftime highlights rolled. “This shot right here. Look at this…”
Then Charles Barkley chimed in, shaking his head: “What the hell is this?”
Shaq didn’t stop there. “We’d be fighting in the locker room right now,” he said. “We’re down 0-2, and we’re taking 35-footers? Take a couple of dribbles. Back the little man down, shoot your jump hook.”
Classic Shaq. Back in his day, the paint was sacred ground, and he ruled it like a king. So watching a fellow big man play like a shooting guard—especially with the season on the line—doesn’t sit well with him.
This isn’t even the first time Shaq’s gone at Towns. Just last postseason, after a shaky performance in the Western Conference Finals while KAT was with the Timberwolves, O’Neal had one piece of advice: “Get your big a** in the lane.”
To be fair to Towns, he’s not your average big. He’s actually one of the best three-point shooting centers in NBA history, knocking down 42% from deep during the regular season. So the idea of Towns taking threes isn’t outrageous—it’s part of his game.
But even the best shooters in the world know better than to chuck it from near the logo with a full shot clock. Unless your name is Steph Curry (or maybe Damian Lillard), that shot’s just not the move.
And for Shaq, who made his living dunking on folks and wrecking the rim, there’s a time and place for a big man to let it fly—and it’s definitely not when your team’s on the ropes in the playoffs.
Whether you agree with Shaq or think KAT should have the green light, one thing’s for sure: the TNT crew never misses when it comes to postgame fireworks.