7. Shaq Near Quadruple Double in the 2001 NBA Finals
There have only been four players to achieve a quadruple double in an NBA game — Hakeem Olajuwon, twice, Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, David Robinson — and Shaq was one assist and two blocks away from being the fifth.
More incredibly, he would have been the first player to ever do so in the playoffs, and arguably could have been the only player to achieve such a feat in the Finals.
After losing game one at home to the Philadelphia 76ers, the only game the Lakers lost during their 2001 playoff run, Shaq was hell bent on making sure that another “L” did not occur on his watch.
Shaq shot 22 free throws on the night, converting only 10, and it is interesting to think just how dominant Shaq could have been had he focused more on getting better from the line than he did on being a celebrity. Oh, what could have been.
In 45 minutes of play, he and Kobe put on a dominant display, combining for 59 points, 10 blocks, 15 assists and 28 rebounds, all while holding Allen Iverson to 23 points, which is a feat in itself considering the fact that he had 48 the game before.
Ultimately winning their second of three championships, the only chance opposing teams had to stop Shaq was by sending him to the line, or by convincing Kobe Bryant that he was the best player on the team… sigh.
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