Shaquille O’Neal Hunts Down Real Culprit Behind Lakers’ Devastating Defeat vs Nuggets

Shaquille O’Neal’s frustrations about the Lakers’ ongoing losing skid is spilling over. They had a shot at winning Game 2 with a 20-point lead but it ended 101-99 in Denver’s favor. While everyone says The Joker beat the Lakers twice in this series, Shaq is going against the grain. He’s taking a jab at the Lakers’ age-old problem with sustainability and letting LeBron James’ squad who is their own worst enemy.

“They beat themselves twice,” Shaq said regarding the Lakers. Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith didn’t agree. They want to give the Nuggets, especially Nikola Jokic due credit. But only minutes ago, the TNT analysts collectively pointed out the mistakes the Lakers made proving Shaq right.

“They didn’t sustain what they’re doing. They let it slip away.” Miming an imaginary switch in his head, Shaq told the Lakers to, “Turn that focus up,” for Game 3.

Last year the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets. Despite those odds, the former pro who added three championships to Lakers history himself, put his money on his old team to win this series. Yet the Lakers’ 10-0 record presents a different story.

The Lakers prove Shaq right

Just not in the way Shaq wishes. He was hoping his series prediction would come true. But he, along with Kenny and Chuck, watched the Lakers blow a 20-point lead with unnecessary strategies. Kenny pointed out that the Lakers have exhausted all the strategies with Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura guarding Jokic. Austin Rivers tried stopping Jokic and Darvin Ham keeps mentioning they have more strategies to slow down the MVP frontrunner. Yet the TNT analysts are complaining that the Lakers need to shift their focus off Jokic and focus on the lead they had.

Chuck even said the Lakers arent playing bad (he was referring to AD’s 32-point outing and strong first half) but the Joker is a tough mountain to climb. Shaq dismissed it that it’s not about the Nuggets at all. The Lakers, especially with Bron and AD, have a history of overcoming double-digit deficits. But when they have the lead, they have to keep extending it. Not waste time double-teaming Jokic who is a great passer by Shaq’s standards.

As Shaq said, Game 3 is a must-win. He’s got his fingers crossed that the Lakers take heed of the chatter coming from Studio J and recalibrate their focus. After all, the Lakers legend just loves being right. Do you think Shaq’s pinpointed the Lakers’ true enemy?