Shaquille O'Neal Quotes

You have to defend the perimeter guys otherwise you're going to struggle getting playing time or staying on the court.

Back when I played, basketball was all about fundamentals, about hustling, getting those loose balls, all those rebounds under the basket. That equals up to 12, 14, 16 points. You can lose a game with that much. It's different watching basketball now. People don't play the same way. It doesn't matter if you score, if you can't stop the other team from scoring. Our coach used to kick our ass if we didn't. I was told if you saw more of the other team color under the basket than your own team color, you ain't doing your job. Everybody should be under the board, trying to get that ball.

My on-the-court game was ordinary. I had a jumper but needed screens. I could go right but not left.

The Knicks left me open a lot of times the last time we played them, and I was just making sure I took the shots that were there.

We've been playing ugly. Without all of our bodies, we've been kicking it all over the shop, but fortunately we've been able to make the big buckets and rely on our defense for once.

I'm still going to have to go out and score, but defensively hopefully I can make them a little bit better.

You have to win games by scoring points, of course, so that's important. But when you're having nights against a good defensive team, you have to win in a different manner. You have to win a defensive-type game.

My stats speak for themselves; I've got a good touch for a big man, I know I can find the back of the net.

When you're in the playoffs, you have to get easy baskets and you have to limit their easy baskets.

People aren't used to guarding this kind of size and I'm able to add a little finesse to my game so it has flavor and I'm a playmaker so I can create for my teammates and when I have to finish I'm gonna finish.

I try to use my athleticism and my strength to be able to guard bigger guys, and being able to guard bigger guys is going to get me more minutes on the floor.

I have a pretty good idea of what makes NBA players great - especially at the different positions, and where the biggest problems lie that you have to address in defending those people.

Guard some point guards, late shot clock, hopefully they miss.

If he's averaging 25 points and I can contain him to 17, then I've won the battle. If he averages 12 assists and I kept him to seven, I'm winning the game.

Defense all starts with the ball and the rim-protector is the last resort, the last line of defense. I take pride in that.

I was guarding the best player and getting 25 and having eight assists, and three-four steals.

Shooting threes is always going to be what I do best.

The defense will tell you who shoots the ball. If it comes down to them trying to take the ball out of my hands, I trust my teammates to go out there and make every shot.

You don't want your opponent to score. You don't want your guy to score and once you get better at it, you get used to it, it becomes a mindset. You just try to do it every game.

Defense, for me, is where I really love to put work in most. Defense is, in my mind, what wins games.

I'm a pretty good free-throw shooter, so getting fouled is a good thing.

Defense not only wins games; it's what gets you on the floor at every level you play at. Once you get to high school and get to college, if you don't play defense, you won't play.

With all the talk of the 3-point line, it's still most important to build your defense inside to out.

The game changes when you play good defense and don't come up with the ball.

You're going to play me different if I have the ball, even if I'm at 75, 80 percent, just for the simple fact that you do not want me to make that three. That's helping my team out.