For those who are unaware, it was the Phoenix Suns’ fast-paced offensive abilities that transformed the three-point revolution. And surprisingly, it was Shaquille O’Neal who indirectly led this revolution even before Stephen Curry stepped foot in the league, despite shooting only 4.5% from beyond the arc in his career, i.e., he’s made only one of his 22 3-pointer attempts.
Despite not winning championships, the Suns gracefully managed to tackle O’Neal and Tim Duncan. Tackling their unstoppable force led Mike D’Antoni and the Suns to figure out a way to reduce the damage. Revealing the details on the “On Point” podcast, D’Antoni credits O’Neal for changing everything.
Mike D’Antoni And His “Seven Seconds or Less” Against Shaquille O’Neal
No matter how gradually, D’Antoni and the Suns did manage to find a “seven seconds or less” way to revolutionize the game. To tackle Shaq’s force, they brought about a three-point revolution, responsible for shaping offensive strategies in the league for everyone.
“A big driving force was Shaquille O’Neal was the center in Los Angeles, which is in our division,” D’Antoni said. “And we always said among ourselves, you can’t out Shaq Shaq. You can’t just trot somebody out there and think you’re gonna get the best of Shaq.
“So we had to figure out a way to beat him,” D’Antoni continued. “And that was to speed the game up, take more 3s and spread them out, and then they give us a chance to win.”
This opinion surprised the ‘On Point’ host, Meghna Chakrabarti, learning about his influence that went beyond opposing teams’ strategies as well.
D’Antoni responded, “Yeah, he is actually the cause of the 3-point shot”.
Diesel.
15x All-Star, 1999-00 MVP, 4x Champ, 3x Finals MVP and #NBA75 Anniversary Team member… Shaquille O’Neal!
Watch more Shaq moments here: https://t.co/vqiSrd0K3Q pic.twitter.com/MMNdr22ZrE
— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2022
When Mike took over the coaching position for the Suns in early 2003, the Lakers had won a three-peat, from the 1999-2000 season to the 2001-02 season. Shaq was the 3-time Finals MVP, and the greatest problem for everyone who was playing against him.
The HC created a ‘run-and-gun’ offensive system and took it to an extreme to tackle this major threat. At the time, he was averaging 29.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Most of the problems Shaq created for opponents were done inside the paint, making him an unstoppable force. Not just the Suns, but everyone heavily relied on centers just to foul him. The “seven seconds or less” was one of the unusual plans created by opponents to put him down, since traditional methods weren’t coming to help.
