Shaquille O’Neal was one of the toughest players to officiate. He was a magnet that attracted multiple defenders and a lot happened when he touched the ball. NBA is a difficult league to officiate. It is a daunting task to keep a tab on all ten players in such a fast-paced environment. Therefore, some antics and tricks get unnoticed by the referees. Taking advantage of that, one of Shaq’s former teammates resorted to these tricks so that Diesel could gain a match-up advantage.

Here, Robert Horry, the seven-time champion and former teammate of the former Center, laid it all bare. He went on to the “All The Smoke” podcast managed by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to talk about the trick he used on a legendary player to stall him from scoring.

Robert Horry uses a trick to hold Tim Duncan from dominating Shaquille O’Neal

The Big Shot Bob brought up the subject when Stephen Jackson was discussing the 2003 NBA Western Semis between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. Jackson, who was a part of the Spurs, asked if Horry remembers that series that ended the Lakers’ run for the season. This made both Jackson and Horry laugh. Then Jackson stated that “it was some great basketball being played”. Then Jackson lauded Tim Duncan for his play during the series and his great defense of Shaq. This is when Horry explained his tactic.

“I used to do this little trick thing with Tim. When I would guard Tim, I always wanted him to go the middle so I can have my hand on his hip. So every time Tim would jump, I would jump and pull his hip down, trying to block his shot and he would yell at the ref, ‘he is pulling me down’, I was like where. So the next year Tim started facing me, I’m like fu**. I can’t do my trick now. He would just go at a spin move and I can’t grab him and he was just hitting shots. I mean the dude was on a mission”, recalled Horry.

A missed shot that changed the series

Horry also discussed his missed game-winner in that series which he expressed by saying “that’s the most disgusted I’ve ever been”. The series was tied at two each and in Game 5, the Spurs were up 96:94. With seven seconds left in the game, Kobe made a pass to Big Shot Bob, who was on the left wing. He shot the ball, but the ball went in and out. This gave the San Antonio Spurs a 3-2 lead, and they finished off the Lakers in Game 6.

The amazing clutch player has various highlights that have helped multiple team win championships, but he missed that time. At any rate, the insight about Duncan was intriguing. Which memory of Big Shot Rob did you cherish the most?