If peak O'Neal were put into the present, would there still be a small-ball era?

In the NBA, there has always been a very hypothetical - if peak O'Neal were put into the present, would the small-ball era still be here?

I think the answer is no, because peak O'Neal's dominance is too strong, so strong that the league had to modify the rules again and again, so strong that it can create a dynasty, such a player, no matter what era is thrown, will lead the way.

In 1992, on the eve of the NBA lottery, each of the 11 teams that held the lottery position had a person's name printed on their special jerseys.

This person, is all NBA team soul haunting thought of the player, his name is - Shaquille O'Neal, the era of the league's Chosen Son, is also the NBA history of the most dominant center.

O'Neal at the time, although only 20 years old, but in the NCAA has been unbeatable - in O'Neal 18 years old, just joined the Louisiana State University team when the first year, O'Neal in the tournament against Mississippi State University, made a stone-breaking 17 caps, a break NCAA single-game cap record.

At LSU, O'Neal played three seasons, averaging 21.6 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, and was twice named an All-American, and with the name of genius in mind, O'Neal chose to participate in the NBA Draft.

Scouts for O'Neal's evaluation is very high, in O'Neal's draft report, there are countless words of praise: "His excellent athleticism and horrible talent allows him to score easily in the interior; his strength allows him to dominate the penalty area both on the offensive and defensive end, while he has a very unmatched agility and stature He is fast and can get the ball out of his hands even when facing a sack. In front of his opponents, he is so powerful that he can destroy everything and he will be a great capper."

Of course O'Neal also has shortcomings, that is, shooting and free throws are not very accurate, but at that time the NBA is the era of the interior, under the basket has a huge potential of O'Neal instantly attracted the attention of countless teams, there is not a team not greedy O'Neal.

In the end, the lucky Magic team with a probability of 9%, lucky to draw the first prize, but O'Neal himself is actually not too much want to go to Orlando, which for the future of his departure to bury the ambush, and in the Magic selected, he rushed to Los Angeles, in the NBA Hall of Fame members of the Magic Johnson's guidance to enhance the basketball technology, which is also a prediction that he will be descending to the City of Angels afterward.

The 1992-93 season, O'Neal's rookie season, quickly demonstrated unrivaled court dominance, in the game a full three times in the dunking time will be the rebound and basket dunking experience, the last time is more directly will be the basketball rack pull down. Meanwhile, O'Neal was also selected as an All-Star starter this season, and he was the first player to make his debut as a rookie in the NBA All-Star Game after Jordan, the God of Basketball, in the 1984-85 season.

There is no doubt that O'Neal was selected as the best rookie of the season, not only did he average 23.4 points + 13.9 rebounds, but he also helped the fish-breathing Magic win 20 more games than last season.

After a sweet first season, O'Neal continued to evolve in the second season, averaging 29.3 points per game, averaging 60% shooting in the lane, and scoring 24 points and 28 rebounds on 12-of-19 shooting in 36 minutes against the New Jersey Nets.

Not only the personal data is excellent, O'Neal's team performance is also very good, he led the Orlando Magic team to the first playoffs in history.

In the 1994-95 season, O'Neal averaged 29.3 points per game, getting his first scoring title, and this season, O'Neal led the Magic to 57 wins, and once again made it to the NBA playoffs, all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, eliminating the Chicago Bulls in the last 17 of the regular season in Michael Jordan's comeback to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time. Although the Magic were swept out of the finals by the Houston Rockets, the young O'Neal crushed the then NBA's No. 1 center Dream Olajuwon on all fronts, averaging 28 points + 13 rebounds + 6 assists and shooting 59% from the field.

In the 1995-96 season, O'Neal was injured and missed 28 games, but the Magic still made the playoffs this season, which was the last year of his rookie contract and his last year with the Magic.

In the summer of 1996, O'Neal became a free agent, and instead of renewing his contract with the Magic, he signed a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, officially joining them.

O'Neal's arrival, quickly heating up the Lakers, in the 1997-98 season, the Lakers in O'Neal's leadership of 61 victories, but in the Western Conference Finals was defeated by the Utah Jazz 0-4, in the 1998-99 season, the Lakers got Rodman, further strengthen the interior strength, but in the second round of the playoffs but suffered the San Antonio Spurs swept out of the game 4:0! The Lakers were able to get the ball rolling in the second round of the playoffs.

Lakers management is fed up with having O'Neal but can not win the championship results, in the 1999-00 season, the former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson to join the Lakers, O'Neal got the guidance of the Zen master, the strength of the rapid progress, as if wearing the golden cloak, at this time, he is a perfect blend of height, strength and flexibility, the game dominance further upgraded to make the whole alliance scared of the "Big Shark". "The Sharks.

The most iconic game of O'Neal's dominance was the night of O'Neal's 28th birthday, when the Lakers went on the road to play the Clippers, a team from the same city.

On the eve of this birthday game, O'Neal asked the Clippers owner for tickets to the game, wanting his family to see his own game live, but was rejected by the Clippers owner, O'Neal was very angry and decided to give it all he had on the court, and he got the Zen master's release and the support of his teammates.

So, on this night, O'Neal was on fire, contributing to one of the most brutal games of his career, the game began to quickly enter the offensive mode, every ball must fight, the fire, on the court for 45 minutes, 35 shots 24, free throws 22 free throws 13, and finally took 61 points and 23 rebounds of super data.

The Clippers' two centers, Pete Chilcutt and Michael Olovokandi, were beaten by O'Neill, two people only scored 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Pete Chilcutt 6 committed to the field, but as a relief, Michael Olovokandi took over the field to be ravaged, and ultimately 5 fouls nearly left the game.

This game, O'Neal in the Zen master after the arrival of the dominant performance of a microcosm, in the 1999-00 season, O'Neal played 79 games, averaging 29.7 points 13.5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, and got the All-Star FMVP and the regular season MVP of the award, the Lakers also 67 wins and 15 losses, the first in the West, the results of the breakthrough into the playoffs. In the playoffs, O'Neal still maintains a strong "appetite", crushing 2 meters 18 Divac, peak Webber, 2 meters 18 Luke Langley, 2 meters 23 Sabonis, 2 meters 11 Rasheed Wallace, in the finals to face the Pacers' Twin Towers --- 2 meters 21 Ricky Shipley. The 2.16 meters tall, weight in 150 kilograms of floating up and down, can almost fill the three-second area of the giant fat, but has a lightning fast turn speed and incredible ability to change direction, the power is also amazing, you can easily complete the isolation of the N people storm dunk, and there is a handful of good small hook, how to prevent this?

A lot of teams choose to double-team, or even triple-team, and the fans also defaulted to this situation as reasonable - just like the "Legend of the Dragon Slayer", Zhang Wuji, after the great success of the power of the gods, every time out of the box are surrounded but not a single person shouted unfair general. Of course O'Neill is just like Zhang Wuji, no matter how many people come, it's all for nothing.

In order to inhibit O'Neal, the NBA official helpless under the shot, deliberately modified the rules of joint defense, the establishment of the defense 3 seconds, it is these rules so that O'Neal had to be far away from the restricted area, greatly facilitating the breakthrough of the outside players and air cut.

In addition to the alliance to suppress O'Neal, in addition to the Lakers outside the other coaches also began to think of various ways to suppress O'Neal, such as the infamous "cut shark tactics". Because O'Neal's free throws are not very strong, so the old Nelson invented the "shark tactics", in O'Neal's offense to send him to the free throw line, reduce O'Neal's scoring efficiency, and then by other coaches to learn, have to face the Lakers when using.

"Shark tactics" embodied in the most exemplary of a game, it is O'Neill in the Lakers first championship season finals against the Pacers G2, the game, the Pacers crazy sharks, O'Neill 39 times the whole game of the free throws, only hit 18 balls, two people in the Pacers 6 committed field, there are blue-collar up to 3 minutes! Collar 6 fouls down the field, the team 38 fouls, but even so did not take the Lakers.

After taking the first championship in a Lakers jersey, O'Neal's confidence is bursting, coupled with the gradual growth of Kobe and the Zen master in control of everything, the Lakers opened the road to successive championships.

In the 2000-01 season, O'Neal led the Lakers to the Finals again, beating the Kings, Blazers, and Spurs in the playoffs, advancing to the Finals, where the opponent was the 76ers. O'Neal blew away Mutombo, the season's best defender and rebound king, with an average of 33 points and 15.6 rebounds in the five games. And more than a single game 19 shooting 12, 28 points +20 rebounds +9 assists +8 blocked quasi "quadruple double" data, the Lakers in the playoffs achieved 15 wins and 1 negative record has created a playoff history of the best record.

Two consecutive championships of the Lakers did not tire, in the 2001-02 season, O'Neal led the Lakers to win the championship, the finals against the Nets averaged 36.3 points + 12.3 rebounds, but also got his third consecutive FMVP.

Three consecutive championships in the Lakers, is the apex of O'Neal's career, in the 2002-03 season, O'Neal suffered from injuries, only 67 games on the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers, the Lakers. 67 games, and the Lakers were defeated by the Spurs in the second round of the Western Conference.

In the 2003-04 season, the Lakers got Karl Malone and Gary Payton to form a fantastic F4 lineup, and once again made it to the Finals. 32-year-old O'Neal, with a leg injury, faced the Pistons' double Wallace tight pack every game, averaging 26.6 points + 10.8 boards + 1.6 assists on 63% shooting, but the Lakers still lost 1-4 to the Detroit Pistons.

After this failed Finals, the conflict between O'Neal and Kobe detonated, and O'Neal left the Lakers for the Miami Heat to partner with the young Wade.

In the Heat, O'Neal turned to assist Wade, to help Wade grow rapidly, 2005-06 season, under the leadership of Wade and O'Neal, the Heat in the East all the way to a breakthrough, in the case of the Finals first lost two sets of the case of four consecutive games, to take the championship, O'Neal also harvested his career's fourth championship ring.

In the 2006-07 season, O'Neal only appeared in 40 games, in the middle of the season due to injury, the data also to a career low, the entire season averaged only 17.3 points + 7.4 rebounds, and at the same time, for the first time in his career failed to be selected as the NBA best lineup.

The ensuing injuries to O'Neal, hip injuries and pain in his left knee greatly affected his performance on the court, in the 2007-08 season, O'Neal fell out of the All-Star, 14 consecutive trips to the All-Star Game record was ended, and in the middle of the season was traded to the Phoenix Suns. O'Neal then began a wandering tour of the league, joining the Cavaliers and Celtics, and eventually announcing his retirement in 2011.

Although the end of his career is relatively decline, but in the entire history of the NBA, O'Neal is undoubtedly the strongest center of the game dominance, and even do not need to add one , in the peak of the three consecutive championships era, he is the absolute core of the Lakers, but also the NBA deservedly dominated the interior, as long as he squeezed into the interior of the no one to stop, dunks and small hook shot The Lakers have a lot of people who have been in the game for a long time, and it's been a long time since they've been in the game, and they've had a lot of people who have been in the game for a long time.

In addition to the power of the offensive end, the tall and strong O'Neill town of the basket is also a nightmare for all opponents, his ability to cap is very good, unparalleled strength is a nightmare of rough type of the interior, even if it is the Yao Ming this kind of playing method to restrain O'Neill's super center in the twilight of O'Neill in front of the account of a cheap.

If the peak of O'Neill appeared in the era of small ball, then it is likely that the entire small ball era will be a huge impact on the traditional type of meat shield center will not be so fast disappeared in the field of vision of the fans, but unfortunately this can only exist in the fantasy of the fans, but fortunately, after the retirement of O'Neill is still active in the basketball world, to do the status of the Gold Medalist commentator.

In ESPN's latest list of historical players, O'Neal ranked 10th, which is the best praise for his legendary career, creating a dynasty of him, worthy of this ranking, in the future of the NBA, there may be more and more great genius, but like O'Neal this has a strong dominant center, I think there will not be a second!