"Everything went as I expected before the games started" - Shaquille O'Neal looks back on picking Golden State Warriors as favorites for NBA championship

Shaquille O'Neal backed the Warriors to win the NBA championship long before most anyone else did. Back in December, when O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith made their championship predictions, Shaq had this to say:

"I'll go first, how many you want? Golden State will win the championship, Chef Curry will win the MVP, unanimously, Sacramento Kings won't make the playoffs."

While O'Neal's MVP prediction didn't come true, Curry played at an MVP caliber at the beginning of the season. He scored 27.7 points per game until the New Year, shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc.

When asked which team was his favorite to win the title this past season and about his thoughts on the Finals, Shaq said:

"For me, the Warriors were the big favourites to win the title. There was no doubt in my mind. Everything went as I expected before the games started. They didn't let me down and did their job very well." (via) MARCA

Shaquille O'Neal praised the Warriors and Stephen Curry, stating:

"I think Stephen Curry is the biggest problem the league has right now. That guy doesn't miss and he can score near the rim, from outside, beyond half court, it doesn't matter. He gets it right every time." (via) MARCA

Looking back at Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley's predictions for the 2021-22 NBA season

From left to right: Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley

Widely regarded as the best sports TV show, "Inside the NBA" has dominated the television NBA analysis realm for the last two decades.

Back in December, when asked to give out their bold predictions, the panelists, Ernie, Shaq, Kenny and Charles, made some intriguing statements. Kenny Smith claimed that Kyrie Irving would play for the Brooklyn Nets in the 21-22 season, which he did. He also predicted that Ben Simmons would not play for Philadelphia, which he didn't.

Ernie Johnson predicted that the Chicago Bulls would be in the Eastern Conference finals. They didn't advance past the first round. Charles Barkley expected that the Cavaliers would be in the playoffs and the Lakers would be in the play-in tournament. Neither of his predictions came to fruition.