Three days before the Finals started, holding the Eastern Conference championship trophy, O'Neal accepted an interview in the locker room.
A reporter from the "Orlando Sentinel" came forward, "Shaq, what do you think about George Karl's comments yesterday?"
Shaq glanced at the reporter, pressed his lips tightly together, and showed no intent to answer the question.
Ever since the "voting incident" at the beginning of the season, O'Neal had refused to give any interviews to the Sentinel.
Roger did the same, sticking to his word and likewise not giving any interviews to the Sentinel.
Soon, a reporter from another newspaper asked the same question, and that's when O'Neal finally spoke up:
"Listen, George Karl is an extremely cunning guy. He knows his team can't match us in sheer strength, so he wants to use those comments to throw us off.
It's laughable that he's pinning his hopes on something like that. Hey George, let me tell you the key to winning a championship.
