The Clippers’ blowout loss is dividing the Inside Guys. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley blame it on Paul George and James Harden. Kenny “The Jet” Smith believes the players can have one dud game. But after Ty Lue tried to keep the optimism alive, Kenny may have said something blasphemous. That triggered a robust response from Shaq. With the Clippers down 2-3, they probably need to decide if they should listen to Shaq or Kenny!

Game 5’s 30-point deficit was the worst loss the Clippers have ever suffered in the postseason. Tyronn Lue admitted in the post-game presser that it was subpar, but they still have a shot. Meanwhile, Kenny Smith agreed on Inside the NBA, making Shaq and Chuck make incoherent disagreeing noises. Kenny proceeded to say, “Everybody’s not Shaq, everybody’s not Kobe.” He meant not all of them can burst in the playoffs. Kenny forgets Shaq gets riled up when Kobe Bryant is brought up in nothing but the best scenario.

“It’s not about being Shaq… it’s about stepping up to the moment,” O’Neal countered. Despite Kenny trying to defend his statement, Shaq wasn’t having it. O’Neal and Kobe were the best duo in Lakers’ history, but they were a complex pair off the court. When it mattered, though, they stepped up. When Shaquille O’Neal was sidelined with injuries, it was Bryant’s moment to be the leader on the court. Once, Bryant even confessed to taking a backseat to preserve Shaq’s pride for the team’s benefit. 

The Clippers were down without Kawhi Leonard today because of his injured knee. O’Neal hoped for George and Harden to more than make up for that void. If someone is going to compare a duo like PG13 and The Beard with Shaq and Kobe, they would need to live up to it in a whole series.

Drawing from his partnership with Bryant, Shaq said George and Harden need to know, “He’s the most important piece of that team. He’s part of the one-two punch. You got to step up in the game. It ain’t about being Shaquille. Paul is the one, he’s [Harden] is the two.” If that doesn’t explain Shaq’s sky-high expectations, then nothing does.

No Shaquille O’Neal & Kobe 2.0 in the Clippers today

At Tip-Off, it was Harden and PG that made Shaq declare the Clippers would win. He sees the duo play their best without Leonard to defer to. O’Neal was sure that “Playoff P” and the “old Harden” would be on the court today. The duo, however, made for only a combined 22 points on a 6 of 25 shooting. It was after they put up 33 points each in Game 4.

Despite Kenny arguing that one dud is allowed in a seven-game series, O’Neal demanded nothing but consistency in the playoffs. He slammed George for only going 5 points in the first half and scoring too late in the last quarter. He explicitly said, “That’s why I’ve never really been on the Clippers bandwagon because those two guys are too inconsistent for me. You can’t go from 33 to seven.” 

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George and Harden have only Game 6 to redeem themselves. Or they exit from the first round. Do you think that Harden and George are allowed one loss?