The Los Angeles Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Spurs, a heavy addition to the shameful record of Shaq after he left Roger.
If he had been defeated by a team led by a perimeter player, it might not have been so humiliating.
But the one who defeated Shaq was Tim Duncan.
A sophomore big man who made the league's top center, Shaq, unable to lift his head.
There really wasn't a more humiliating sweep than this.
The only consolation for O'Neal was that at least Roger didn't continue to win championships.
It meant that he needed only to win a ring next season to catch up to Roger and end all the humiliation.
Everything could still be salvaged.
Let the so-called basketball obituary be left to Roger himself.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Paul Pierce had already started his summer training.