Twenty-five years ago, Shaquille O’Neal dominated the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, steamrolling them with 43 points, 19 rebounds, and an aura of pure dominance. The Diesel was in his prime, and there was no stopping him. Fast forward to 2025, Shaq no longer dominates on the hardwood, but he still throws down in the studio—and this time, it was Chet Holmgren who caught the heat. The irony? Shaq expected a blowout again in Game 1. Only this time, it was Indiana that flipped the script.
“I did not expect this. I thought it should’ve been a blowout,” Shaq said on NBA TV, visibly stunned by OKC’s collapse.
And make no mistake—Shaq wasn’t sugarcoating things when it came to Holmgren’s performance.
“Chet had a horrible game,” he said bluntly. “Two for nine for six points. But listen, Indiana, they definitely stole one. And nobody expected this.”
Holmgren’s stat line—6 points, 6 rebounds, 2-of-9 shooting—did little to match the moment. Shaq, who once redefined what it meant to be a dominant big in the Finals, didn’t hesitate to point out the glaring gap.
“I was sitting there on the floor and I was like, okay, they’re about to blow them out. Wait. Okay. They’re about to blow them out again. And then it kept happening.”
“I did not expect this. I thought it should’ve been a blowout.” @SHAQ reacts to Indiana’s incredible comeback in Game 1 pic.twitter.com/CjIRbYuKhx
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 6, 2025
What kept happening was a storm no one saw coming.
OKC, leading by 15 with under 10 minutes to go, looked poised to continue their perfect 36-0 run at home with double-digit leads this season. But Rick Carlisle, the same coach who orchestrated Dallas’ 15-point Game 2 comeback against Miami in the 2011 Finals, pulled a trick from the same bag.
More to follow…..
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