O Neal revealed: He averaged 40 points against Jokic in today s NBA games

According to Gautam Varyl, a contributor to US sports media F/W, Hall of Famer O'Neal has never been a person who lacks confidence, which is once again reflected in Tommy's talk show. O'Neal was asked what his stat line would be if he had faced off against top Nuggets superstar Jokic in the playoffs, and he made it clear that he would win the game. “The playoffs could be 40 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks,” O’Neal said. "You know he's a different player. I probably won't stop him, either, because they'll definitely run pick-and-roll. I have to leave him and then they'll have a chance. He might be shooting a lot of jump shots."

"However, if he's going to defend me one-on-one, hopefully he won't be in the game often," O'Neal said. "Because of the first 10 possessions, I'm going to attack him. He either had to foul me or double the defense of me. So if he fouled me two or three times, he would definitely be on the bench. So, he could average 27, 30 points per game because he's a great shooter and I have to go off," O'Neal continued. "If he was an inside player and I just had to focus on him, he wouldn't have gotten that much. Because I saw him playing inside against Dwight Howard," O'Neal added. "He has a problem. But because they have a lot of pick-and-rolls, you have to help the guard, they throw the ball back, he shoots. But he is guarding me? I'm an average of 40. It's easy."

This sounds like a delusion from most people's mouths, but O'Neal isn't. At his peak, he could have scored 40 points against nearly any center in NBA history. O'Neal was at his absolute peak when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight titles from 2000 to 2002. In these three NBA Finals series, he averaged 35.9 points per game and shot 59.5% from the field. O'Neal's most impressive performance was probably in the 2001 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He played against Mutombo, who won DPOY in 2001, and dominated the series.

O'Neal averaged 57.3% shooting percentage and scored 33 points in his game against the Sixers. If he can do this against one of the best defenders the NBA has ever seen, you better believe he can average close to 40 points against Jokic. O'Neal had also previously said he would score 40 points against Jokic. The 53-year-old admitted in at least this situation that he would also work hard to defend the Serbians.

Jokic does not have the scoring mentality of O'Neal, but if his team needs him to do so, he can score. He averaged 27.4 points in the playoffs in his career, and you would expect him to play great numbers in this game. While O'Neal believes he will win, he does respect Jokic more than other big men. He once included the Nuggets superstar on his all-time center roster. However, Jokic hasn't done enough to surpass O'Neal. His name only has one championship, and he needs to win several more championships.