Shaquille O'Neal says if he had come to Cleveland two years earlier, they would've won a championship: "We just didn't have the rhythm"
LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010 because he could not get over the hump and win a championship for the Cavaliers. But if Shaquille O'Neal had come to Cleveland a couple of years earlier, LBJ's 'The Decision' might not have occurred.
During the latest episode of The Big Podcast, the Los Angeles Lakers great said that if he partnered with Bron two years before he played for the Cavs, they could have easily led the franchise to at least one championship.
"I wish we could've met two years earlier cuz we were actually in number one, we were the number one seed. I was a role player and the Big Baby broke my hand so I had to sit out six weeks and then when I came back, I was all out of rhythm, out of shape and we lost to Boston," said Shaq.
Shaq missed 5 weeks with a severe thumb injury
When he came to Cleveland, Shaq was already 37 years old and playing in his 18th NBA season. Despite his age, he still managed to average 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in 23.4 minutes of playing time.
But on February 25, 2010, in a game against the Boston Celtics, O'Neal suffered a significant thumb injury after Glen Davis hit him while attempting to block his shot. Big Diesel ended up missing five weeks. He returned to play in the postseason, but he did not have the beat as he had said.
"I think if I had met him two years earlier, we definitely could've won. But again, as I said, we were number one in the East. Nobody could beat us. But you know, out of the lineup, back in the lineup, and you know, we just didn't have the rhythm," reiterated Shaq.
The Cavs blew a 2-1 series lead against the Celtics
Even with Shaq out, the Cavaliers became the only team in the league to win at least 60 games during the 2009-10 NBA season. They were the top seed in the 2010 NBA Playoffs with a 61-21 record and claimed homecourt advantage throughout the postseason.
But after making easy work of the Chicago Bulls in the opening round of the playoffs, they squandered a 2-1 series lead against the Boston Celtics and were ousted in round two. Shaq averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game in that series, but he was far from the dominant force he used to be.
One season earlier, Shaq averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while playing 75 games as a starter for the Suns. That 36-year-old version of The Diesel still made it to the All-NBA third team. If that was the version of O'Neal that LeBron got, he might not have left for Miami after the 2010 campaign.
