When the Hawks easily passed the Bucks while the Lakers lost in the first round, it meant there was a gap in their dominance.
And this was something Shaq couldn't accept.
He had always comforted himself, "I'm only three wins behind Roger, that's not much of a gap, my dominance is the same as his."
But now, that excuse was ruthlessly punctured.
Roger averaged a 32-point win over the first round opponent, while Shaq lost in the first round, clearly showing a different level of playoff performance.
An angry Shaq swore at the press conference, "Chris is just lucky, he wouldn't be the top pick otherwise. Clearly, luck was on his side today. But in Game 4, Sacramento fans can say goodbye to their hero. I will handle the next game, I'm not going to Game 5!"
With Shaq's firm tone, the Lakers cleanly lost Game 4, entering a Game 5 situation.
