There are few better words in sports than ‘Game 7’.
When all is said and done, it’s win or go home territory.
3
The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is already serving up a treat, as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from the brink against the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets fought back against the Golden State Warriors.
LA secured a 111-105 win to stave off elimination and tie the series 3-3 on Thursday night, forcing a Game 7 decider in Denver on Saturday.
Ahead of that match-up, Shaquille O’Neal shared his advice to the stars who are heading into the most dramatic of postseason play.
“You have to impose your will,” Shaq, who recently made fellow Inside the NBA host Charles Barkley a $1 million offer, said.
He then broke down how he would deal with both the Nuggets and the Clippers if he were coming up against them, referencing the points their stars put up in Game 6.
“First thing I’m doing is what all players do — I’m looking at the stat sheet,” Shaq said.
“Norman Powell’s not getting 24… Kawhi (Leonard), he’s Kawhi. James (Harden), he’s James. Hey, 28 points. I need him to get 15.
“Then I’m going at ‘The Joker’ (Nikola Jokic). I’m going at (Ivica) Zubac. Follow me. It’s a real intense game.
“In Game 7, you don’t talk about game notes. It’s like, ‘Okay, we know what we got to do. We know this team. They know us. Who wants it more?'”
The Rockets looked dead and buried after falling 3-1 down against Steph Curry‘s Warriors but clinched a decider on home court with a 115-107 road win in Game 6 Friday.
3
Shaq, a four-time NBA champion, featured in one of the most famous Game 7 comebacks for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000.
The Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, but then dropped two games in a row to Portland to set up a winner-take-all decider.
Portland were up 75-60 with 10:28 remaining in the game, and it looked as though LA were on the verge of an epic meltdown.
But instead, the Lakers mounted one of the greatest Game 7 comebacks in NBA history. Shaq, who had been shut down by the Blazers frontcourt for most of the game, came to life in the fourth quarter with nine points.
His last two came on the receiving end of a famous lob from Kobe Bryant, and put the Lakers up 85-79 with just over 40 seconds to play, effectively sealing the win and sending them back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1991.
When the dust settled, Los Angeles held on to win 89-84, outscoring Portland 31-13 in the fourth.
3
Shaq’s fellow Inside the NBA analyst, Jalen Rose, also featured in an iconic Game 7.
It came against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, during their famous ‘Last Dance’ run through the 1998 playoffs.
Rose lined up on the opposite side with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, attempting to spoil Chicago’s dreams of a second three-peat.
With the series tied 3-3, led by MJ and Scottie Pippen, the Bulls won the decider 88-83 to advance to the NBA Finals.
In a later documentary about the Last Dance, Jordan showed rare moment of emotion when he broke down in tears discussing his former teammates.
Rose, meanwhile, discussed his own experience on Thursday night.
“The one thing I’ll say about a Game 7 is, in particular for a role player, you’ve got to stay in your lane,” he explained.
“Shaq just said it. Your best player has to come out and set the tone. And then everybody else gets a chance to follow. But if he doesn’t set the tone, then we’re not going to win.”
Rose went on to reference Denver’s stars, suggesting Jokic needs to be the one to step up this year, but that others can help.
“It’s very important, in this case for The Joker, especially playing at home,” he explained.
“And Jamal (Murray) — he can be dominant. Michael Porter Jr… He’s got to play a lot better.”
The Clippers and Nuggets play their Game 7 decider on Saturday night at Denver’s Ball Arena.
While the Warriors and Rockets go toe-to-toe a day later, in a blockbuster weekend of basketball.
