“They ran every play for him” - Shaq was furious with the Spurs when David Robinson took the scoring title away on the last gameday
With the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal, many fans and analysts quickly realized that he wasn’t just a rebounding force but would score with utmost ease in games. When Michael Jordan retired from the league before the ’93-94 season, ‘Diesel’ seized the opportunity to showcase his scoring prowess, looking all set to win the scoring title in just his sophomore year. However, it wasn’t until the final day that David Robinson emerged unexpectedly and snatched it away from him, leaving O’Neal visibly frustrated at missing out.
Shaq sounded off on missing out on the scoring title
With the ’93-94 regular season-ending, Shaq held a slim lead over Robinson, with an average of .06 points per game and a total of 33 points. Taking to the court first, the Orlando Magic center delivered a dominant performance, dropping 32 points and 22 rebounds in a 120-91 win over the New Jersey Nets.
Unknown to Shaq, Robinson was on the verge of pulling something historic. Not only did he drop 19 points more than his previous career high and 8 more than the previous franchise record set by George Gervin, ‘The Admiral’ dropped 71 points on 26-of-41 shooting from the field against the LA Clippers to win the scoring title on the last day.
In a win by just 15 points, Robinson was helped immensely by his team, allowing him to score through every play and the 10-time All-Star recognized the efforts of his teammates.
As the entire Spurs team rallied behind Robinson, O’Neal grew increasingly frustrated, witnessing the collective effort of a whole squad aiding their player in surpassing him.
“That meant I was on his mind. They ran every play for him,” Shaq said. “If I hadn’t been triple-teamed and was selfish and tried to score every time I touched the ball, I could have scored 70, too.”
Clippers players went ballistic
Similarly, like The Big Aristotle, even Dominique Wilkins was displeased that his Clippers team inadvertently aided the 7’1″ Spurs center in his 71-point outburst. Nique exclaimed that he had never witnessed anything quite like it.
Even veteran Mark Jackson’s frustration was evident as he watched San Antonio seemingly help Robinson dominate the court at will. So disturbed was he by the scene unfolding before him that he voiced his reluctance to be affiliated with the Clippers franchise.