So I decided to dive into NBA history yesterday and make that Shaq vs Duncan rivalry video everyone keeps asking about. Grabbed my laptop around breakfast time and started digging through old games like a detective. Man, finding quality footage from the early 2000s was tougher than scoring on prime Dikembe!
The Research Grind
Watched full game tapes until my eyes blurred. Had to pause every two minutes to scribble notes:
- First found their 1999 playoff showdown where Timmy outrebounded Shaq 18 to 9
- Nearly threw my coffee mug seeing that 2001 Christmas game where Shaq’s dunk shattered the backboard
- Spent way too long fact-checking their 2002 stats after finding three different box scores
Ranking Nightmares
Choosing number one was brutal. My draft looked crazy:
- Initially put their 2004 battle at #5 but moved it to #3 after rewatching the fourth quarter
- Almost flipped my notebook arguing with myself over 1998 vs 2003 matchups
- Changed the order four times while eating cold pizza at midnight
Final Touches
Edited clips till 3AM with bloodshot eyes. Noticed Shaq’s free throws were somehow worse than my first edit. Had to redo the whole segment when I spotted wrong captions in the 2002 segment. Almost cried uploading the final cut as sunrise hit my window.
Real talk – trying to pick between these giants feels like choosing between steak and lobster. Both cooked each other different ways! Still unsure if I got the ranking right but my eyelids demanded surrender.
