Thirty-one years separated two Game 7 postgame huddles that followed epic conference finals, and both featured a generational No. 1 pick leading a group of players with no playoff experience into the NBA Finals in his third season, according to Windhorst.
More than three decades ago, Shaquille O’Neal celebrated with Dennis Scott, Anthony Avent and mascot Stuff the Magic Dragon after the Orlando Magic’s victory over the Indiana Pacers in the 1995 Eastern Conference finals. Last week, Victor Wembanyama embraced Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and Keldon Johnson after helping the San Antonio Spurs beat two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Windhorst wrote.
Windhorst noted a stark contrast between the two scenes: Orlando’s celebration in the now-razed O-rena was raucous, complete with Jock Jams and streamers, while the Spurs’ postgame moment in Oklahoma City played out amid stunned silence. Both players were described as imposing figures the league had not seen, and both lifted youthful teams to the precipice of NBA glory.
One veteran NBA head coach of Wembanyama told Windhorst, “He’s Shaq. He eats clean, worries about how his water is filtered and doesn’t break backboards like Shaq did, but he presents the same problem. None of us know what the hell we’re going to do to stop him.” The piece notes physical differences: O’Neal was a 7-foot-2, 300-pound center, while Wembanyama is listed at 7-foot-4 and described as a center-guard with a broad skill set.
Statistical comparisons in Windhorst’s report show O’Neal averaged 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 58 percent and playing 79 games in 1994-95, finishing second in MVP voting. Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks while shooting 51 percent in 64 games, finishing third. The two differed markedly at the line and beyond it: O’Neal missed 511 free throws in the regular season and playoffs and made no 3-pointers, while Wembanyama had missed 78 free throws (making 84 percent) and had made 152 3-pointers in the regular season and playoffs.
Windhorst recalled that the 1995 Finals, in which the Houston Rockets swept Orlando and Hakeem Olajuwon outplayed O’Neal, marked the start of what became the Shaq era — O’Neal reached six Finals from 1995 to 2006 and won four titles. The account also notes behavioral contrasts: O’Neal later admitted he and his young teammates celebrated too aggressively before the 1995 Finals, while Wembanyama avoids alcohol, consumes plant-based sports drinks and has rejected sugary drinks in public. A rival general manager told Windhorst, “Of course people are going to compare him to Shaq but he’s actually Shaq 2.0” because he cares for his body and plays a modern game.
