this is a bit of a stretch, but humor me shaq (to me, yao's only real competition) seems to have a little trouble with tall/heavy guys. mainly thinking of sabonis here, though shaq can still have his way with him most times. other thing ive noticed was his inability to play very well against hakeem, someone who treated shaq the same way yao treats him (on a personal level i mean). it seems maybe the personal relationship cooled the fire under his ass a bit. granted, shaq idolized the dream growing up but i like to think he had a hard time playing rugby style (admit it he does) against someone who he respected and was kind to him. http://www.chinayao.com/images_ktsh/20036111595937907.jpg dont they look happy? he's even met his parents... http://www.chinayao.com/images_ktsh/20035215553780306.jpg anyway,i know there's loads of holes in this argument, but can anyone think of other players who have given shaq some trouble that fits the above types, or at the very least- what type of player does give shaq trouble? what kind of advantages might yao have?
Where did you get this "inability to play very well against Hakeem" from? Hakeem probably played among the best defense against Shaq, but to answer your question I have yet to see anyone short or tall, fat or skinny, nice or mean prove Shaq is "[unable] to play very well against [them]. Yao's greatest advantages against Shaq is his height and his ability to draw Shaq out and hit a 15-18 footer.
DoD, Exactly what I was thinking. I think there are centers that can make Shaq work harder for his points, but you can't really say anyone gives him trouble, Yao's 3 blocks against Shaq Jan. 17th notwithstanding. I think the best way to defense Shaq is to make him work harder on defense. There are not many centers left in the league that can make Shaq play honest D. In that aspect, Yao perhaps can give Shaq legit trouble by wearing him down, thus causing Shaq to short arm his shots or not go in as hard on O.
I need a closer definition of "giving Shaq the most trouble," because just as the way Hakeem dominating Shaq (at least somewhat) doesn't prove him the better player, Shaq dominating Yao (or vice versa) wouldn't prove either of them better players. Because in both case we're talking about an established superstar playing a rook. If we're talking about who gives who trouble then give a timeline. Are we talking the past, present or future or are we talking in their primes after we know what they will do in their career. In the past, Hakeem outplayed Shaq. In the present Shaq outplays Yao. In the future Yao will toy with an old Shaq. As for who's the best player, it's Hakeem followed by Shaq with Yao as the unknow X-factor.
you guys are semantic geniuses, let me tell you. by "give him trouble", i mean just that- make it a little more difficult for him to dominate, which he almost invariably does. yeesh
The guy who atleast made him honest to play D against Shaq was Pat Ewing. Ewing and shaq were going on to each other from (1993-95) and patrick had huge numbers against O'neal.
Ok..here is the strategy to contain Shaq. Everytime after he scores on Shaq or blocks his shot, Yao would hug Shaq and whisper to his ear "You are my idol. You are still the best." What's a more effective way to soften up the MD?
The Refs. Shaq generally plays exactly the same against any center, but obviously his numbers go down when the refs are calling a lot of offensive fouls and sending him to the bench. Vlade's probably the best at drawing fouls against him (or anyone).
I agree, Vlade's antics and flopping frustrate Shaq. You can tell by the disgusted looks on Shaq's face during Kings-Lakers games or by the way he went after Vlade in the tunnel during their preseason rumble. The offensive fouls also lead to Shaq being tentative, which is obviously a plus for the opposing team. Vlade's midrange shooting and flip shots are pretty effective against Shaq offensively as well. I remember a couple years ago, Michael Olowokandi played Shaq pretty well, both offensively and defensively. Duncan's a good choice too, especially in their playoff matchup during the Spurs' 1999 championship run, when Duncan embarrassed Shaq pretty badly.
That should be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on since they will be facing each other more this year with alot more at stake and possibly on into the playoffs.
Baby Shaq (Aka Ed Curry) Gave SHAQ a ton of fits this year. Possibly holding Shaq to one of his worst shooting field goal percentages in his career. Not sure though.
I think that's a huge stretch. I don't think guys show much mercy out on the court. It's business and competition and these guys want to win. I think shaq had probs with Hakeem because Hakeem was the better player.
what about zydrunas? i think his hulking body is one of the reasons the cavs have a great chance at winning the finals this or next yr
Well, they've only played 5 career head-to-heads, but the stats nonetheless don't support this claim. Shaq gets his average career numbers against Miller (27, 11, 3, .570+ fg).
