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One of the greatest performances of Shaquille O'Neal's career came after the LA Lakers icon overheard a legend of the game talking about how he could be stopped.
The 7ft 1ins centre was at the peak of his powers in the 1999-2000 NBA season and would be named the league's Most Valuable Player at the end of the campaign.
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But when the Lakers faced cross-city rivals the LA Clippers on 6 March 2000, O'Neal had planned to take it easy. It was his 28th birthday and his mind was more focused on the post-game festivities he'd planned.
While the Lakers were steaming towards the first of three successive titles and would finish the season with a league-best 67-15 record, the Clippers were the weakest team in the NBA and would eventually finish bottom of the standings, winning just 15 of their 82 games.
If there was one team Shaq could take it easy against, it was the Clippers.
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But with the his side unexpectedly struggling against their weaker opponent, Big Diesel overheard Lakers legend and six-time MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – who was working as an assistant coach for the Clippers at the time – telling head coach Keith Kloss how LA's second team could stop the most dominant big man in the NBA.
O'Neal decided to forgo his virtual night off in order to make a point.
"Usually, I go home, eat lunch, take a nap, and get ready for the game," O'Neal said on the NBATV show Open Court. "But we're playing against the great Keith Kloss and the LA Clippers, so I'm taking the night off. I had to get ready for the party.
"They're killing us, and everybody's looking at me. Now I gotta play, I gotta dominate!"
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"I look over to the bench, and I see one of my idols telling Keith Kloss how to stop me. I see Kareem saying, 'You gotta do this, you gotta do that.' Now I'm pissed."
O'Neal channelled his annoyance into 61 points and 23 rebounds, powering the Lakers to a 123-103 win.
Topics: NBA, Shaquille ONeal, LA Lakers, Basketball
Ryan Baldi