NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal Was Wrong About The Golden State Warriors

Shaquille O'Neal had high hopes for the Warriors.
Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors do not appear to be a legitimate contender for the 2025 NBA Championship.

Early in the season, the Warriors were 9-2 in their first 11 games, which had them among the best teams in the Western Conference.

At the time, Charles Barkley did not believe the winning would last.

However, Shaquille O'Neal had higher hopes for Golden State (via the NBA on TNT).

Barkley: "I think they're too small. Everybody's fresh and feeling good right now... Everybody else is feeling good, and nobody's got bumps and bruises, and I think their shooting will go down. They're playing well right now. I just don't think it's sustainable."

O'Neal: "I have to disagree with my brothers down there. I think they can sustain it. I remember when I first met Phil Jackson, he said you play eight seasons in one season, so he broke it down in games of ten... I think they can go 6-4 on seven more brackets, which would give them some type of home-court advantage."

While there is still a lot of games left to be played, the Warriors have fallen off in a big way since their hot start.

They are 13-20 in the previous 33 games.

Golden State Warriors
Jan 18, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, guard Gary Payton II (0), guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Lindy Waters III (43) during a timeout against the Washington Wizards during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Right now, the Warriors are the 11th seed in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record in 44 games.

They are 6.0 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the fourth seed (the final home-court advantage spot).

Warriors NBA
Dec 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and guard Stephen Curry (30) look on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers.


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Ben Stinar
BEN STINAR

Ben Stinar is the NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation.