Shaquille O’Neal is arguably the NBA’s most dominant player until he matched up against Ben Wallace. That was a face-off between a dominant offensive player and a lockdown defender.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant force in the paint. He was unstoppable in the paint due to his 7’1″ frame combined with elite athleticism and strength. O’Neal was a freak of nature as he was massive, but he was quick like a guard.
The Diesel led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. They had another chance to win a Lakers championship in 2004. However, they played against the Detroit Pistons‘ tough defense, spearheaded by Ben Wallace.
During his career, Wallace was a four-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award. He did his best to limit O’Neal in 2004 alongside Rasheed Wallace. They limited him enough to win the Finals and split the duo of him and Kobe Bryant.
Despite being one of the NBA’s greatest defenders, Wallace still struggled against O’Neal. Most of the time, great offense beats great defense. Sometimes, the defense wins out, and that was in the 2004 Finals.
According to the numbers, O’Neal and Wallace played 23 games against each other. During those games, the three-time Finals MVP averaged 24.5 points per game on 58.5% from the field. Considering the tough defense Wallace plays, those are decent numbers for O’Neal.
However, he had to work for every point, as Wallace knew how to push his buttons. Despite that, the four-time DPOY admits it is one of the toughest tasks in his NBA career.
“It’s like trying to hold up a side of the house. Just drain his energy, that is why we run different bodies from time to time,” Wallace said to Stuart Scott during the 2004 Finals.
“He’s a big fella, he’s not just big, he’s agile, he can move that weight around. You add that with size and agility, you can just imagine, tough guy to stop.”
O’Neal had many holes in his game, but he persisted as a historic dominant force. His free-throw shooting was a massive issue, but he was still a fantastic player. Three Lakers titles and one more with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are impressive additions to his resume.
The four-time champion is also an underrated leader during his career. As one of the most decorated players in NBA history, that is what makes the 2004 Pistons so impressive. Wallace and the rest of the Pistons shocked the world when they beat the Lakers in only five games.
Beating O’Neal and Bryant in their primes is a monumental achievement. It takes its rightful place as one of the best NBA Finals runs ever. That Pistons core won an improbable championship and while doing so, they slowed down O’Neal in the Finals.
