There are few players in the NBA who have been as dominant and intimidating as Shaquille O’Neal. The 7-foot-1 inch star was the tallest player on the court more often than not and he exploited this advantage fully. However, there were times when Shaq felt intimated.
Back in 1995, a young Shaq faced a Chicago Bulls team in all their glory. They had all the stars like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and others.
Thanks to Shaq’s notoriety, he was being guarded heavily during the series. Moreover, due to the heavy deployment on defense, O’Neal once cried out for help from an unusual entity.
It was WWE legend, Hulk Hogan. After finishing Game 2, Shaq exclaimed, “Hulk [Hogan], I need you, man.” O’Neal said this after three Bulls players, Luc Longley, Will Purdue, and Bill Wennington troubled him all throughout the game.
Despite all the pressure on him, a young Shaquille O’Neal got the better of the legendary Chicago Bulls. To this day, this remains one of Shaq’s biggest accomplishments and he seems to be quite proud of it.
Shaquille O’Neal handed Michael Jordan his last playoffs loss
Michael Jordan and success goes hand in hand. He has the incredible record of never losing in an NBA final and having 6 NBA titles to his name. However, MJ has faced failure on the road to the NBA finals on numerous occasions.
The Detroit Pistons were famous for denying MJ a ring for a long time. Moreover, even Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic have their fair share of credits in denying Jordan another NBA ring.
In 1995, the Orlando Magic took on the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. O’Neal took matters into his own hand and helped his team beat the Bulls 4-2. He averaged 24.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists during the series.
On the other hand, MJ averaged 31.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Talking about his historic win, Shaq said, “I take pride in being the last guy to beat Michael Jordan in a playoff situation.” That’s something to be proud of!
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