On Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors sent a message to the Los Angeles Lakers after defeating them in a statement win.
While the message can be open to interpretation, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal believes he heard it loud and clear. During an episode of Inside the NBA, Shaq claimed that the Warriors want all the smoke from the Lakers.
“I know the Lakers beat Golden State three times before, but they didn’t have Jimmy Butler and they were not focused,” Shaq said. “I like a focused Golden State Warriors team, they’re very dangerous. I think they want to see the Lakers in the first round. Oh yeah. We want all the smoke.
“We want ALL the smoke” 💨@SHAQ thinks the Warriors want the Lakers in the first round of the Playoffs 👀 pic.twitter.com/C34WHWkXv8
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 4, 2025
It’s a pretty bold statement for Shaq to make as a former Laker himself. It’s hard to imagine anyone wants to deal with facing LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the playoffs, and it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to deal with how the referees would officiate LeBron, Doncic, and Austin Reaves.
However, the Golden State Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA since trading for Jimmy Butler. With the way they look, they shouldn’t fear any team besides the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers have also looked great since trading for Doncic, but the Warriors have just looked better.
The Golden State Warriors’ next opponent is the Houston Rockets on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. EST.
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