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Portland Trail Blazers Chime in on Detroit Pistons’ Shaq Saga

The Portland Trail Blazers commented on the Detroit Pistons' recent post about Shaq.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 10, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups gestures during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups gestures during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsPortland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers took joy in the Detroit Pistons’ social media shot at the outspoken NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

As the Pistons’ social media team took advantage of the moment to go at Shaq for his recent series of comments regarding the Pistons, the Blazers had a reason to celebrate.

via @DetroitPistons: Nothing new here

via @TrailBlazers: Hey look, that’s our Head Coach! 🫵😄

Recently, Shaq has proved he’s been overlooking the Pistons as an analyst. Earlier this week, the former center described the Pistons as a boring team, rejected their status as potential championship contenders, and didn’t even know that they were performing above .500 for the year.

After a full day’s worth of criticism online, Shaq practically doubled down on TV. While he gave credit to guys like Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart for helping the Pistons find success this season, the former NBA Champion wasn’t even aware of the fact that Chauncey Billups is the head coach of the Blazers, while JB Bickerstaff took over for Monty Williams in Detroit this year.

For the most part, NBA fans have defended the Pistons against Shaq’s stance. While the Pistons’ social team took its jab back at the former Laker, Detroit center Jalen Duren noted that the players are taking the critical comments in stride. With an opportunity to crack a spot in the playoffs, the Pistons are focused on the main task at hand and avoiding the outside criticism.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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