Luka Doncic continues his rise as a potential MVP contender. Having already shone during the regular season, his scoring prowess and leadership skills have now helped the franchise lead the LA Clippers by 3-2 during the playoffs. His recent performance made waves as the player was able to put up an impressive total despite suffering from a sore knee and ‘flu-like’ symptoms. It was here that former Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal attempted to take some credit.

During the recent segment of ‘NBA on TNT’, Shaq proceeded to discuss Doncic’s ‘Flu Game’ with his co-hosts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. He highlighted that despite what the player thought about his recent performance, the Mavs star played well. Shaq applauded him for stepping up and doing what a “superstar’s supposed to do” by not letting his teammate carry the whole scoring pressure.

“He didn’t complain about his sore knee, even though I sent him some ‘Icy Hot’ and he rubbed it on before the game,” said Shaquille O’Neal on Luka.

It was at this point that the co-hosts started speaking out and just outright ignored Shaq’s ‘good nature’.

Prior to Game 5, the Serbian player’s availability had been put under question after the situation with his knee sprain worsened. To top it all off, Doncic had even made a statement that he had been sick for “five to six days”. Despite this, he did not stay away. Making his appearance known at the Crypto.com Arena, Doncic dropped 35 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. This score allowed him to break Michael Jordan’s record of the most consecutive 20-point games away from the home arena during the playoffs. It also made him the fifth player below the age of 25 to have 30+ points in 20 or more playoff games.

We don’t know whether it was the ‘Icy Hot’ that Shaq ‘sent’ to the Mavericks star that performed the miracle. However, we do know that Shaq would never hesitate to mention a product of the brand with whom he has been associated with for more than 20 years now.

Luka Doncic cured Shaquille O’Neal’s anxiety with his performance

Being an NBA analyst, Shaquille O’Neal’s job has now transformed to keeping a keen eye on the ongoing games and sharing his thoughts on the same. This has allowed him to often root for the star players of the competing franchises and go into a state of worry if they don’t kick off their performance well during the start. A similar situation occurred during Game 2 of the Mavericks-Clippers playoff series. Speaking out in the aftermath of the game, the 7-foot 1 former player revealed that Luka Doncic stepping up helped him to calm his nerves.

“I said at halftime, when a superstar has a bad game, I’m always anxious to see the second game,” said Shaq. “He was very aggressive, he hit some tough shots, and this is what superstars do”.

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Along with the Clippers, the Mavericks also had a slow start to Game 2. Doncic scored 12 points during the opening quarter, and his shooting skills inside the 3-point line seemed to be faltering. However, he soon picked up the pace and dropped 32 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds to conclude the game in his favour. His contribution allowed the Mavericks to bring the playoff score to an even 1-1.