Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has just sent out a warning shot for the rest of the NBA with regards to LA's championship odds this season. With the Lakers falling in the standings in the West of late, there has been some concern surrounding their title defense this year. Shaq, on the other hand, is not buying the narrative.
According to the Hall of Fame big man, the Lakers hold one key advantage over opposing teams in the conference:
“The difference between the Lakers and any other team is that the Lakers don’t need home-court advantage,” Shaq said (h/t Nico Martinez of Fadeaway World. “When you got guys like LeBron and AD, they can steal a game on the opponent’s floor. Utah and (other top 4) teams need home-court advantage. Lakers do not.”
Fair point from Shaq here. There's no denying that the Lakers are struggling of late, and this has resulted in the defending champs slipping down in the standings. For O'Neal though, he firmly believes that the Lakers do not need to be a Top 4 seed in the conference for them to be able to dominate in the playoffs. In his mind, Shaq is adamant that the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis has what it takes to win it all despite not having home-court advantage during the postseason.
It is worth noting too, that the Purple & Gold have been without both LeBron and AD for an extended period. LA has been missing its two superstars for some time now, and this has led to their current struggles. It goes without saying that a healthy Lakers squad is more than capable of defeating any team in the NBA — even the mighty Brooklyn Nets.
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