Boston Celtics greats Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce recently talked about their experience playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq played for the Celtics back in the 2010-11 season, which proved to be his final year as a professional. O’Neal was 38 years old when he moved from Cleveland and was well past his prime.
However, both Pierce and Garnett seemed confident that the Celtics would have won the championship had O’Neal not gotten hurt, according to their appearance on the ‘Ticket and the Truth’ podcast. Shaq underwent a hip injury after helping the Celtics get off to a 17-4 start to the Regular Season.
O’Neal started the season as a starter but ended up missing a plethora of games due to his hip. That, according to the former Celtics’ duo, was one of the biggest reasons why they ended up not winning the championship that season in 2010-11.
Garnett claimed that apart from the impact O’Neal had on the team, he was also fun to be around. “We only wish we got him earlier. He hurt his hip… We could have did some s**t. Shaq was fun man. Never a dull moment either,” he said.
Paul Pierce, on the other hand, responded by claiming that he was confident the Celtics would have returned with the championship had it not been for O’Neal’s injury. “I am telling you, if we had him healthy I think we would have won it that year. We was like, a great start before Diesel got hurt,” he claimed.
O’Neal did not actually play the final four games of the Celtics’ 23-4 run, which his team still won. Regardless, Pierce concluded by talking about how they had beaten LeBron James and the Miami Heat as well, during this run. “We beat Miami, with LeBron, yeah he was rolling…We were 23 and 4 before Diesel got hurt,” he said.
Hence, while O’Neal, even at the age of 38, was a blessing for the Celtics, that was not the only reason why the pair was impressed. Asked about what kind of teammate Shaq was, both Garnett and Pierce claimed that O’Neal was extremely fun to be around, and completely changed the team dynamic.
Pierce, despite his high standards, could only think of one area which proved to be problematic for him, with respect to Shaq. He claimed that O’Neal would end up taking up as many as 3 seats whenever he sat on the bench alongside him. Jokes apart, however, both Garnett and PP seemed confident that they would have won their 2nd ring with the Celtics, had O’Neal remained healthy.
Shaquille O’Neal was determined to win another ring with the Boston Celtics
While O’Neal was never able to add to his 4 rings, the last of which came in 2006 with the Heat, he was determined to add to his kitty. Speaking after his move to the Celtics, Shaq had claimed that it was only about winning, for him, according to ESPN.
“I still have hunger, I still can play, I still want to win. When I close my book at the end of the day it’s all about winning, nothing else,” he said.
O’Neal went on to reveal that he had multiple teams interested in the offseason, but wanted to join a team he could help win a championship. “This summer I had many options but I wanted to be with a team that was used to winning, with a team that was one or two pieces away. I think it’s a good fit.” Shaq claimed.
Hence, while the 5th ring never arrived, O’Neal effectively spent the final years of his career looking for it. The intention behind his move to the Cleveland Cavaliers a season before was the same, something which was also apparent when he joined the Boston Celtics. Of course, while the championship did not arrive, O’Neal had a memorable time with the Celtics and obviously made an impression on his teammates as well.
The post “We Beat Miami With LeBron James”: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Confidently Claim Healthy Shaquille O’Neal Would Have Ensured NBA Title appeared first on The SportsRush.
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