The Diesel led the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> to three consecutive championships<\/a> from 2000 to 2002. They had another chance to win a Lakers championship in 2004. However, they played against the Detroit Pistons<\/a>\u2018 tough defense, spearheaded by Ben Wallace.<\/p>\n During his career, Wallace was a four-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award. He did his best to limit O\u2019Neal in 2004 alongside Rasheed Wallace. They limited him enough to win the Finals and split the duo<\/a> of him and Kobe Bryant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite being one of the NBA\u2019s greatest defenders, Wallace still struggled against O\u2019Neal. Most of the time, great offense beats great defense. Sometimes, the defense wins out, and that was in the 2004 Finals.<\/p>\n According to the numbers, O\u2019Neal and Wallace played 23 games against each other. During those games, the three-time Finals MVP averaged 24.5 points per game on 58.5% from the field. Considering the tough defense Wallace plays, those are decent numbers for O\u2019Neal. <\/p>\n HBD Big Ben Wallace “In today’s game, not only would I be able to play, I would average 50 rebounds like Wilt.” pic.twitter.com\/TPZ2U2XBV8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 10, 2024<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n However, he had to work for every point, as Wallace knew how to push his buttons. Despite that, the four-time DPOY admits it is one of the toughest tasks in his NBA career.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to hold up a side of the house. Just drain his energy, that is why we run different bodies from time to time,\u201d Wallace said to Stuart Scott during the 2004 Finals<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a big fella, he\u2019s not just big, he\u2019s agile, he can move that weight around. You add that with size and agility, you can just imagine, tough guy to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n The Diesel is still one of the most dominant players ever<\/p>\n O\u2019Neal had many holes in his game, but he persisted as a historic dominant force. His free-throw shooting was a massive issue, but he was still a fantastic player. Three Lakers titles and one more<\/a> with Dwyane Wade<\/a> and the Miami Heat<\/a> are impressive additions to his resume.<\/p>\n Kobe Bryant On the Detroit Pistons defeating them in 2004 NBA Finals <\/p>\n Kobe \u201cThat\u2019s my fault because I didn\u2019t use prepared to run our automatics\u201d <\/p>\n Shaq \u201c Ben Wallace guarding me? Ridiculous\u201d<\/p>\n For Pistons fans wondering why Shaq believes they\u2019re boring. He\u2019s still mad over the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/U8aKQPC4jw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) March 12, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n![\"Shaquille](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-50959864-967x627.jpg\")
Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES\/AFP via Getty ImagesWallace on what it is like defending O\u2019Neal <\/p>\n
First Undrafted player inducted into the Hall of Fame! <\/p>\n