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Former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal lit hopes for Lakers and Warriors fans with his prediction for the two teams to upset the top seed in the West in the playoffs. On the NBA on TNT show, O'Neal declared that the Los Angeles Lakers or the Golden State Warriors could beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of playoffs.
"The Lakers or the Warriors could beat the Thunder in the 1st round," Shaquille O'Neal said.
Shaquille O'Neal was met with an almost immediate rebuttal from the other hosts of the show who seemed to disagree with the NBA legend.
The Oklahoma City Thunder occupies the top spot of the Western Conference along with the Denver Nuggets and are almost definitely going to make the playoffs. The Lakers and Warriors are currently ninth and 10th, respectively.
Is Shaquille O'Neal's prediction about the Lakers and Warriors justified?
Both the Lakers and the Warriors have championship DNA and have clinched the championship title in the last five years. However, both of them have juggled between the ninth and 10th spots in the Western Conference this season.
The LA Lakers (36-31) occupy the ninth spot having won six of their last 10 games. They were defeated by the Sacramento Kings 120-107 on the road on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors (34-31) are 10th in the table having won five of their last 10 games. They lost their previous game to the Dallas Mavericks 109-99 on Wednesday.
It is yet to be seen if either of the teams will even make the playoffs as they barely keep themselves in the play-in tournament. However, if they do, it is not unlikely that they cause an upset and bring down the OKC Thunder.
Both teams comprise star players who have time and again displayed their ability to pull through when the need arises. Moreover, the playoffs are different from the regular season. Hence, having experience of the playoff pressure and situations is a major plus point for the former championship teams.
Despite having a brilliant regular season, the Thunder did not make it to the playoffs in the past three seasons. The Thunder roster consists mostly of young talent which include many who've never played in the playoffs. The lack of veteran experience may come up costly against the championship DNA teams.
On the other hand, though Shaquille O'Neal's prediction bears some weight, the OKC Thunder and its young roster have surprised the league plenty this season. They cannot be taken lightly with the kind of performance they have displayed in the season so far.
