'I would tank': Shaquille O'Neal says Warriors should shut down Steph Curry and prep for next season
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Alex Shultz, SFGATE
Reggie Jackson of the LA Clippers handles the ball guarded by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors on March 11, 2021.
Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
A lifeless first half for the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Clippers was all it took for TNT's "Inside the NBA" crew to write off the Dubs for the rest of the season.
Golden State entered Thursday night's contest with a 19-18 record, good for ninth in the Western Conference. Sans Klay Thompson, the Warriors hardly look like championship contenders, but they're certainly in the hunt for the postseason — a far cry from the 2019-20 season, when they finished 15-50.
But TNT's Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have seen enough. "I would tank," Shaq said at halftime. "I'd say Steph, we're not going to make the playoffs and if we do, we're going to lose in the first round. Get some rest. Let me audition these young guys and see who we can add."
Kenny Smith pointed out that the Dubs basically did that last year after Curry's hand injury, when they were firmly out of the playoff race. O'Neal countered, "I don't want to exhaust him. I want to wait until Klay comes back and make one more run."
Barkley chimed in to say he wouldn't play Curry more than 30 minutes per game from here on out, which I suppose is a half-endorsement of the O'Neal plan. He added, "I'm a firm believer in tanking."
Interesting takes all around from two guys who constantly decry the latest generation of players for not trying as hard and taking too many games off.
Alex Shultz
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Alex Shultz is the sports editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com.