The NBA All-Star game is coming up soon (as of this writing). It’s halfway through the season, and team personalities have definitely emerged. Along with high-profile teams like the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Phoenix Suns have been flying a bit under the radar… yet have the NBA-best record at 43-10.
Still, not everyone is on board with the Suns, including a former Suns player. That guy would be NBA legend and TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal. Yes, Shaq wore a Suns uniform for a bit, after his time in Los Angeles and Miami.
On a recent edition of his own podcast (“The Big Podcast”), O’Neal slammed Phoenix’s odds of making a big showing in the upcoming postseason. “They ain’t got nobody that scares you,” he said. ”Listen, Phoenix is like Utah to me. Got a lot of good players, but some of those players can be punked now, I’m just saying.”
For those who have paid close attention, you (and we) know that when it comes to favorites in the west, Shaq is a big fan of the Golden State Warriors. Shaq has made some pretty funny, outrageous statements over the possibility of the Suns beating Steph and his team out west: “If the Suns beat Golden State I am going to walk two blocks with Suns written on my a–, I’ll post it live on Instagram with it.”
More from the podcast: “Not that the Suns aren’t without stars — Chris Paul is going to stroll into Springfield the second he’s eligible, and Devin Booker is an absolutely lethal scorer….
But if you make a list of the top 10 players in the league, there probably aren’t any Suns on it. And for a top-tier contender, that makes them an anomaly. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a team win the championship without That Dude as the centerpiece.
The last 10 NBA champions, for instance, had either Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James on their roster. Steph and Giannis are angling to make it 11.”
In other words, recent NBA Championship-winning teams have all had a defining superstar on the roster, and O’Neal isn’t seeing that guy on the Suns. Chris Paul is a definite leader and star, but is he the guy to put the team on his back? Stay tuned to playoff action to find out.
The Warriors are currently 41-13, 2.5 games behind the Suns in the race for the Western Conference’s top seed in the playoffs. Still, Golden State is 2-1 against Phoenix so far this season with a game remaining at Golden State on March 30.
Checking the odds from various sports-betting authorities: As of this writing, the Suns are third in odds to bring home the NBA championship. They’re in line behind the Brooklyn Nets and the Warriors.
Can the Suns prove O’Neal wrong? We’ll see. Instagram awaits!