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Lakers Kobe Bryant bumps chests with Shaquille O’Neal after O’Neal got fouled scoring in the first half during the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Staples Center Sunday April 21, 2002.Trailblazer Damon Stoudamire looks on from the left. Lakers won 9587. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
via Getty
Lakers Kobe Bryant bumps chests with Shaquille O’Neal after O’Neal got fouled scoring in the first half during the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Staples Center Sunday April 21, 2002.Trailblazer Damon Stoudamire looks on from the left. Lakers won 9587. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
NBA legend Shaquille O?Neal is one of the most dominant players ever to grace the hardwood. During his prime, everyone had a tough time defending the Big Diesel. And all his poster dunks are proof. He was a beast on the low block.
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During his time in the NBA, O?Neal has been ejected from the game multiple times. But once for a shocking reason- for dunking the basketball too hard. Perhaps this is where all the silly ejections started in the NBA. It was a ferocious dunk, but does that warrant an ejection?
Shaquille O?Neal is a juggernaut
The baffling ejection happened in 2004 when the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Utah for a game against the Jazz. Shaquille O?Neal received the ball in the low post and took a heavily contested attempt. And it looked like an air ball.?
Andrei Kirilenko attempted to rebound the ball. But he couldn?t gather the ball, and it ended up in the hands of Shaq, who was under the rim. It can?t get any easier than that for the towering Lakers legend.?
So O?Neal took off and dunked the ball hard over Kirilenko. And there didn?t appear to be any pushing or shoving from him. But the referee Bob Delaney made the ultimate decision to eject the superstar.
After the referee tossed him, Shaq got angry and almost made contact with the referee. He had to be calmed down by legends like Gary Payton and Derek Fisher. Had he touched the referee, Shaq would have faced severe punishment.
The NBA Finals of the year 2003-2004
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The 2004 Lakers squad was one of the star-studded in the history of the NBA. It was full of NBA legends. It included players like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O?Neal, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, and Horace Grant. Interestingly, they also had the Boston Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka.?
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Lakers Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton walk off the court as the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at the Staples Center. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Some of them were well beyond their prime at the time. Karl Malone and Gary Payton were in pursuit of their first NBA title. The Lakers had an ideal regular season and playoffs. During that season, Kobe was their leading scorer, and O?Neal was a close second.?
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In the NBA regular season, Bryant averaged 24 points and Shaq 21.5 points per game. And in the playoffs, Bryant averaged 24.5 points and Shaq again 21.5 points with 13.2 rebounds per game. But it wasn?t enough for the Lakers in the finals against the Detroit Pistons, who won the series 4-1.
