Second-round NBA playoff action is officially on, and with just one game in the books, Shaquille O’Neal is already ready to call it.
The Golden State Warriors took Game One over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 99–88 defensive slugfest, and even though the Wolves have home-court advantage, Shaq’s not buying it. In fact, the Big Diesel is confidently rolling with the Dubs to win the series—and he’s got his reasons.
Speaking on NBA on TNT, Shaq broke it down with his usual no-nonsense insight. “I’m going with Golden State,” he said, not mincing words. While he gave credit to Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka for his defensive strategy against Steph Curry in the previous round, Shaq’s not convinced the Wolves can replicate that game plan.
“I’m wondering what tactics Minnesota’s going to go through defensively to try to stop Steph,” Shaq said. “Udoka did a great job of saying, ‘Once he gets rid of the ball, deny him. We don’t want him to get the ball back.’”
The question now, according to Shaq, is whether Minnesota has the defenders and the stamina to do the same thing.
“You only got two guys that can really play like that—DiVincenzo and the other young fellow that can deny,” Shaq continued. “They don’t really have a lot of bodies. And you don’t want [Anthony Edwards] getting tired chasing Steph around. That’s not the move.”
So while Steph didn’t exactly light it up in the last round, Shaq points out the Warriors still came through. And if Minnesota lets him find a rhythm? Watch out.
Shaq also said he’s keeping an eye on the pick-and-roll matchups in the series, but it all comes down to how well the Timberwolves can contain Curry—something he’s clearly skeptical about.
“I just don’t think they have the personnel to do it,” Shaq added.
Meanwhile, things are getting wild across the rest of the second round.
The Cleveland Cavaliers—who had one of their best regular seasons ever—are suddenly down 0–2 to the Indiana Pacers. After dropping both games at home in Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the series now shifts to Indiana with the Cavs in full panic mode.
Out west, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were stunned in Game One by the defending champion Denver Nuggets, losing 121–119 in a thriller. And over in the East, the New York Knicks pulled off an overtime classic, sneaking past the Boston Celtics 108–105 to grab a 1–0 lead in their semifinal series.
It’s been a chaotic, dramatic start to the second round—and we’re loving every minute of it.
As always, Shaq’s keeping it real: respect the stars, trust the matchups, and never count out Steph and the Warriors.
Buckle up—things are just heating up.