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Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal was a force of nature unlike anything ever seen before in the NBA. Unarguably the most dominant player of all time, Shaquille O'Neal could've averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds in his sleep.
What made Shaq even greater was his ability to deliver in big moments such as the NBA Playoffs. When the lights get brighter, certain players seem to feel the gravitas of the moment and would struggle to perform. Not Shaquille O'Neal. The four-time NBA champion picked up three consecutive Finals MVP awards with the Lakers in early 2000s.
Shaquille O'Neal, at his absolute peak, could not be stopped offensively despite not shooting from the perimeter and struggling to make free throws. Seemingly the only weakness in Shaq's arsenal was his being a career 52.7% shooter from the line. With that said, here are the top 3 playoffs series where Shaquille O'Neal attempted over 12 free throws a game.
#3. 2007/08 - 12.8 free throws per game
Playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2007-08 Playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal, despite not being the incredible force that he once was, averaged 15.2 points and 9.2 rebounds on 44% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from the free throw line. These stats are by no means indicative of Shaq in his prime, but for a 35-year-old to produce these numbers is remarkable.
Unfortunately for Shaq and the Phoenix Suns, the postseason ended in the first round after falling to the San Antonio Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal's best game of the series came in Game 2, where the big man had 19 points on a little over 46% shooting from the field. He averaged 12.3 free throws per game in that series and went to the line 20 times in Game 5, where he converted nine.
#2. 1999/2000 - 12.9 free throws per game
At the absolute peak of his powers with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1999-2000 Playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 30.7 points and 15.4 rebounds on better than 56% shooting from the field. Diesel attempted over 12.9 free throws per game during that postseason campaign.
Shaquille O'Neal had five games in which he attempted 15 or more free throws for the Lakers as the big man could only be stopped by sending him to the line. Throughout that campaign, Shaq converted a little over 45% of his free throws. His best performance from the line was against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, where Shaq converted all nine of his attempts.
#1. 1998/99 - 14.8 free throws per game
In his third season for the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 26.6 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 50% from the field in the postseason. During the playoffs, Shaq averaged a whopping 14.8 free throws per game but he could convert only 46.6% of his attempts.
With championship aspirations after beating the Houston Rockets in the first round, Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers had a disappointing end to the season, crashing out in the second round of the playoffs thanks to the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against San Antonio, Shaq attempted 23 free throws. It was the most that season in the playoffs for Shaq, and he converted 12 of them.
