On May 31 , Mike D'Antoni, the former NBA head coach famous for his "run-and-gun tactics", was a guest on a podcast. Recalling his vigorous promotion of the fast-paced, three-point-shooting tactical concept during his time with the Suns, he rarely talked about the "behind-the-scenes promoter" of this tactic - Shaquille O'Neal.

D'Antoni revealed on the show that he had begun to build a tactical system that combines fast offense and defense transitions with three-point shooting when he was coaching in the European League. He emphasized: " I thought at the time that this style of play was not only more efficient, but also more suitable for the development direction of modern basketball. When I came to the NBA , I found that the players here have stronger athletic ability and skills, and can fully demonstrate this concept. "

However, D'Antoni pointed out that in addition to the advanced nature of the concept itself, an important factor that actually pushed him to fully implement the " run and gun " tactics in the Suns was the unshakable super inside player of that era - O'Neal.

" O'Neal was on the Lakers at the time, and they were our direct rivals in the division. He was one of the most dominant centers in the league, and you couldn't limit him in traditional ways. You couldn't expect to stop him by sending an ordinary inside player, there was no chance of winning, " D'Antoni said.

" So we have to go a different way. We speed up the offensive tempo, open up space, and shoot more three-pointers, so that we can force O'Neal to run frequently and defend the outside, which is not his strong point. This is how we can compete with the Lakers. " He further explained.

The host was surprised after hearing this, saying that he had never realized that O'Neal had such a profound impact on the evolution of the league's playing style. In response, D'Antoni said with a smile: "He is actually the ' behind-the-scenes promoter ' of the three-point shooting era . Yes, he is one of the reasons for the rise of the three-point shooting trend. "

In fact, the Suns team coached by D'Antoni during the " Nash - Marion - Stoudemire " era pioneered many precedents in modern basketball and is widely regarded as the prototype of today's " space-based offense " system. The small ball tactics and five-out lineups that are popular in the league today are, to some extent, the continuation and development of D'Antoni's tactical ideas back then.

Although O'Neal was known for his traditional inside skills and crushing physical confrontation, the tactical pressure he brought pushed his opponents to a route that combined technology and speed. In this sense, O'Neal and D'Antoni jointly shaped the prototype of a new era of basketball tactics. As D'Antoni said: " In order to defeat a giant, we must fight in a different way, and this battle has changed the entire league. "