With Aries Spears back on The Big Podcast, Shaquille O’Neal had to engage in a game of hypotheticals. And as both are staunch defenders of ’90s NBA, they ran a few scenarios. While O’Neal confidently backed his own legendary squads against the modern basketball standard, he went against the traditional “old head” consensus by asserting that Larry Bird’s iconic 1980s Boston Celtics would fall short against Kevin Durant and the 2017 Golden State Warriors.

Shaq has always believed the ’80s NBA wasn’t as good as the Michael Jordan era and his own prime in the early ’00s. But when it comes to the evolution of athleticism, fluid movement, and speed of the modern era of the Warriors dynasty, it outlasts the era of the Celtics-Lakers’ historical rivalry. When Spears initially asked Shaq, expecting him to back the historic Celtics, the 7’1″ walking plot twist declared:

“No.“

Spears asked Shaq on The Big Podcast if his iconic three-peat partnership with Kobe Bryant on the early-2000s Los Angeles Lakers could beat the Hamptons Five Warriors. O’Neal didn’t stutter when he said:

“We sweep them.”

What makes the Shaq and Kobe Lakers different from Larry Bird’s Celtics? The Big Aristotle was confident that his Lakers, anchored by Kobe Bryant, would beat the Warriors for reasons the bygone Celtics lacked.

“What will get me and Kobe over the top is athletic ability. Bird and [Kevin] McHale were a little, they were stiff with it. It was still a great player, but they were too stiff with it.”

That’s a very insidious debate that has left social media circles in shambles for decades. A 2017 Golden State offense had the relentless floor spacing, transition speed, and agility that the ’80s Celtics lacked. But the Lakers dynasty was stylistically too different to tell which way this make-believe scenario could go.

Ironically, a few years ago, Draymond Green sat on The Big Podcast and told Shaq the 2017 Warriors would beat his Lakers with Klay Thompson guarding Kobe. That did not go down well on NBA Twitter.

It’s not surprising that Shaq feels his Lakers dynasty would work against the prime Golden State led by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. Yet he doesn’t see Bird, one of the best three-point marksmen in history, overcoming the Warriors.

Why Shaquille O’Neal believes the ’80s Celtics were weaker

Coming from a guy who is notoriously protective of Michael Jordan’s legacy, admitting the Warriors are better is off script. No wonder Aries Spears was surprised. Shaquille O’Neal acknowledged the unquestionable greatness of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. While he was inspired by watching Dr J and Bill Russell as a child, he has long maintained that the NBA before the ’90s Bulls dynasty had physical limitations.

When Spears asked if the Bulls of the 1995-96 could defeat Durant’s Warriors, O’Neal answered with a simple, “Yeah.”

Funnily, Shaq’s Orlando Magic had beaten that same Bulls squad a season earlier. The confidence he got from beating his hero hasn’t withered even three decades later.

He carried the same confidence to LA. The Shaq & Kobe Lakers were different from Magic Johnson’s Showtime Lakers that faced off against the Celtics thrice in the ’80s.

O’Neal was one of the most athletic bigs in NBA history who forced opposing teams to recalibrate their roster to counter him. Even the current Warriors want a guy like Big Diesel. That, combined with his experience against the gritty defenses of the ’90s NBA made him the self-proclaimed MDE. He also had the crunch-time support of Robert Horry and Derek Fisher, along with the athleticism of Kobe Bryant.

Ultimately, O’Neal remains fiercely protective of his own dominant NBA footprint and the legacy of Michael Jordan. His take just means this is a comparison of apples and oranges.