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He led one team to three NBA titles and helped Dwayne Wade lead another to one. He was MVP of the NBA Finals three times, and his 28,596 points rank him fifth all time behind NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain. The stats alone show that Shaquille O’Neal will go down in history as one of the greats, but the stats do not tell the whole story.

To understand how dominant Shaq was on the court and how entertaining he was off the court, you had to watch him, study his moves, and listen to him crack jokes. There have only been a few players over the years who have been classified as unstoppable, and even fewer were able to maintain that classification consistently and for as long as Shaquille O’Neal.

To understand “Shaqness”, you first need to understand just how awesomely huge this man is. Plenty of centers were tall, and some were even big, but Shaq is 7”1’ and over 300lbs. People his size are normally pretty immobile, but Shaq was agile, probably not classified as graceful, but undeniably in control of his body and anyone else on the court who got in his way.

In his early years with the Orlando Magic, he immediately made his presence felt by breaking down backboards and even pulling down an entire goal after a dunk. He snapped the entire backboard like a twig and quickly moved out of the way as the whole structure fell to the floor.

The standard defensive protocol with a big man is to put another big body on him, but none were big enough, strong enough, or skilled enough to defend Shaquille O’Neal. As a result, in several seasons of his career he averaged close to 30 points per game, over ten rebounds and at least two blocked shots.

Off the court, Shaq was known for dropping “Random acts of Shaqness”, inventing his own words, joking with his teammates and commentators, pretending no to know who Kobe Bryant was, and even launching a hip-hop side job. In music videos, movies, and interviews, O’Neal’s charisma, unmistakable heavy monotone voice, and jolly sense of humor were always present.

More than just a dominant player, Shaquille O’Neal was an entertainer, and fans all over the world loved him. He served as an ambassador, introducing the game of basketball to people who may not have ever cared about it. His influence and power to bring across a positive message was phenomenal, and that will undoubtedly continue long after his retirement.

Now that his 19-year career has ended, it will be left to the critics, commentators, other players, and fans to decide where Shaquille O’Neal ranks among the all-time greats. For his position, he was easily the most dominant to ever play center, and the statistics indicate he was one of the most productive. While he was not the guy you would want at the free throw line in a clutch situation, he was an immovable force in the paint on offense and defense.

At the end of his career, Shaquille O’Neal had played for six teams, winning three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. He won 3 finals MVP awards, one NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, 15 NBA All-Star appearances, 2 scoring titles, 8 All-NBA First Team awards, 3 All-Defensive Team awards, and 3 All-Star MVP awards.

Shaquille O’Neal’s retirement marks the end of an era: the era of the true big man. NBA teams still have centers, but aside from Dwight Howard, there are few true back-to-the-basket centers left in the game and none as dominant and explosive as O’Neal. When Shaq came into the league, there was stiff competition at the center position with greats like Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Alonzo Mourning. Shaq battled them all and lived to tell about it. As Shaquille O’Neal leaves the game, the style of basketball that made him great may unfortunately leave with him.

Is Shaq the greatest of all time? For many he will be remembered as that, and for everyone else, he will still be remembered. Shaquille O’Neal was so many positive things to the game of basketball and will continue to be someone people tune in to watch, regardless of what he does with his millions of dollars and free time. As one YouTube commenter put it best, “Like his free throws, Shaq will be badly missed.”

PG – Wade, Chalmers, or Mike Miller – Wade is probably going to spend a lot of time at PG simply because they need Miller’s shooting, and Miller doesn’t have a chance of guarding speedy PGs like Rondo, Jameer Nelson, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, etc.

SG – Wade or Mike Miller

SF – LeBron

PF – Bosh

C – Haslem

Bench – Chalmers, Joel Anthony (who?), Raja Bell (I’m guessing on this one, but I feel pretty confident), and anyone who wants a ring bad enough to play for a paltry 1.3 million.

The question is, how will this group play and how will they match up with the rest of Eastern Conference?

Heat: Chemistry and Coaching

1. A good friend of mine who played college basketball once told me that “everyone is happy with their role as long as they’re winning.” While this axiom is probably true, I’m a little skeptical that Wade and LeBron can happily co-exist. It seems that Wade is set to be the closer on this team, and while I think LeBron will probably appreciate that, it remains to be seen if these guys will be able to share the glory.

2. LeBron is used to having full control. It’s well documented that LeBron and his entourage had free reign in Cleveland. How will he deal with the iron fist of Pat Riley? No more cronies on the team plane, no more calling his own plays, etc.

3. Coach Spolestra seems like he’s about to get screwed over by Riley. It won’t shock me is Spolestra takes a backseat around the holidays. While this might seem like a good thing, it’s important to note that a team with a lame duck coach usually isn’t very disciplined.

Truth be told, these three issues are probably very small. Still, you never know.

How The Heat Match-up

Assuming everyone is healthy (and that’s a big assumption), here’s how the new-look Heat will probably match-up with their potential Eastern Conference rivals:

Boston – Rond0 and Allen are at least as capable as any combination of Wade, Miller, and Chalmers. Rondo’s jumpshot will continue to improve, Allen will always be a great outside threat, and neither Wade or Miller has a hope of guarding Rondo effectively for 40 minutes a night. Wade will come close, but only at the expense of a lot of offensive production. Miami’s lack of a true PG will hurt them against the Celtics.

At the wing, it’s clear that LeBron is better than Pierce. However, Pierce will still manage to make LeBron work for his points just as he has done in years past. Finally, at the 4 and the 5, I think Bosh + Haslem + some vet’s minimum bigs are no better than a rotation of Garnett, Perkins, Jermaine O’Neal, and Rasheed Wallace (assuming he doesn’t retire).

A series between these two will likely come down to coaching and chemistry, which is why I mentioned all of that first. Boston is going to miss Thibodeau in this one, so I’d call it 50-50.

Orlando – The x-factor in Orlando is Dwight Howard. If he can somehow learn to hit his free throws and make an occasional jumpshot, he can single-handedly dominate the Heat. Bosh is too soft to bang with Howard, and frankly the Heat can’t afford to let Bosh guard him anyways (the risk of foul trouble is just too great). There’s also the fact that Gortat is going to be significantly better than any big on Miami’s bench. If Dwight and Gortat improve a little (and they probably will), Orlando’s front court is going to dominate.

As for the wing, I’m assuming we’ll see more of Rashard Lewis at the 3. If so, that’s a tough match-up for both teams. LeBron doesn’t have the height to guard Lewis, and Lewis doesn’t have the speed to cover LeBron. It will be interesting, but LeBron probably has the edge here.

Finally, Orlando’s back court of Nelson, Duhon, Vince Carter, and JJ Redick (assuming he’s retained) is going to be at least as good as Miami’s rotation. Wade is great of course, but he’s going to need to do it all on both ends to have a chance. I’m not saying he can’t, I’m just saying that 40 minutes of chasing Redick or Nelson off screens, and/or hounding Duhon and Nelson as they bring the ball up the court, and/or keeping Vince out of the lane is a big workload for the Heat’s primary scorer.

If Dwight Howard improves into a better shooter (as he should), Miami will lose to the Magic because of a lack of rebounding, size, and subsequent foul trouble. If Howard doesn’t improve, the Magic will still have a very slight edge over Miami.

Chicago, Milwaukee, and Atlanta will all present challenges to the Heat, but only the Bucks and the Bulls have a clear advantage over Miami (both teams have a much better frontcourt).

• Chicago’s lack of outside shooting will make it hard for them to beat the Heat, but it certainly wouldn’t shock me to see Chicago win some tight games and take a series to 7 games.
• The Bucks shouldn’t be counted out either – Scott Skiles coaches defense, and the Heat will struggle to win a slow, grind-it-out game. With Bogut’s clear superiority at the center position and an improving Jennings, this team will threaten any team on any given night.
• Atlanta seems like they’re missing something. If they find it (I’m not sure what it is) they can be very good. A new coach might be enough to move (only a true center and a better defender at PG would help).

Who wins the conference? It’s too early to make a prediction, but if I had to guess today I’d say Orlando or Boston. Miami’s lack of front court players is a real weakness, and their lack of consistent outside shooting (Wade and LeBron are too streaky) will make it hard for them to win a grind-it-out game against either squad.

The Celtics have absolutely crushed most every team they have faced. They have played every good team in the east including Orlando and Cleveland twice. They have demolished so-called contending west teams like Denver and L.A., and beat a damn good Jazz team in Utah’s building.

Furthermore, they have embarrassed teams to the point that they have resorted to cheap shots to salvage their pride. The prime example was Lamar Odom’s flagrant foul on Ray Allen. Odom was pissed off because his team had just been dismantled at home. He blew a gasket when KG stuffed his ass and said, “Get that shit out of here.” (On the side, KG says this once every game.) Instead of going after KG, Odom tackled Ray Allen. A couple nights earlier the Kings pulled the same crap. Garcia and Miller hit KG repeatedly with slaps to his face, because they were being outplayed in every facet of the game.

The critics point to the fact that the Celtics haven’t played the Spurs, Mavs, Rockets and Suns. That’s great but the Rockets suck and the Mavs are beatable (see first round exit last year and shitty point guards Devin Harris and Jason Terry). The Celtics might lose to the Spurs and Suns. Both teams are championship caliber squads. The fact of the matter is the Celtics are 26-3. Would 26-5 be any less spectacular?

The fact of the matter is the Celtics are an elite team. They are one of a handful of teams including San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah, Detroit, and maybe Cleveland, who have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA Championship. It doesn’t matter if these teams win 55 or 75 regular season games. In the playoffs, they will be the teams to beat, and anyone of them can beat the other, with the exception of Cleveland who can’t beat the Spurs. The Celtics need only concern themselves with finishing ahead of the Pistons so Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals is played at the Garden.

1) Rajon Rondo is the weakest link. Sure, he had a good game stats wise, but how badly was he abused by Chauncey Billups? Don’t get me wrong, in two or three years Rondo is going to be one helluva player, but it’s much too soon to expect so much from someone so young.

2) The Celtics bench is weak. I’m amazed that anyone ever thought any different, but amazingly some people seem to think Boston has a good bench. Tonight’s game showed quite the opposite — Boston’s bench only scored 5 points and shot 22%!! A terrible performance.

3) The Celtics have no depth. If you watched the game, you saw McDyess, Maxiell, and Wallace out-work Perkins and Garnett for rebounds. You saw Lindsay Hunter, who only played 10 minutes, cause 3 turnovers and match Boston’s entire bench in terms of scoring. You saw Aaron Afflalo, a mere rookie, get substantial minutes guarding Ray Allen (and doing pretty well at it too). Finally, and most importantly, when Rajon Rondo committed his 5th foul with 6:54 left to play, Boston did not have a point guard to replace him. Boston’s lack of depth should now be blatantly obvious.

4) Doc Rivers is a bad coach. I’m sure that a lot of people are blaming the Celtics’ loss on Tony Allen — after all, he did foul Chauncey with 0.1 seconds left in a tie game. It was a dumb move. But it would be stupid to blame Tony Allen — he did the best he could for a young player who got thrown in the game at the last minute. What the *heck* was Rivers thinking playing Tony Allen in the closing seconds? Tony had a grand total of 3 minutes in the game when he was asked to go out and stop Chauncey. At least Rondo had been covering Billups all game and knew his tendencies…Rondo couldn’t have done any worse.

What does it all mean? More likely than not, if Boston and Detroit play a seven game series, Detroit wins. They match up very well against Boston and they expose all of the Celtics weaknesses. Barring injuries, etc., Boston can’t advance to the Finals if they have to go through Detroit.

BTW — Shout out to ManchvegasBob. One question Bob — what’s the +/- of the Celtics bench in tonight’s game? LOL

Wednesday, November 7th. The Celtics wrecked the Nuggets 119 – 93. Nuggets coach George Karl and superstar Allen Iverson both said it was one of the worst beatings they suffered in their careers.

Friday, November 9th. The Celtics blasted the Hawks 106 – 83. They had a 14pt lead at halftime and never looked back.

Tuesday, November 13th. The Celtics powered by the Pacers 101 – 86, proving they can win big on the road.

Wednesday, November 14th. The Celtics embarrassed the Nets 91 – 69 and hit 7-0.

Wednesday, November 21st. The Celtics pounded the Warriors 105 – 82. The Celtics went up by 9 pts at the end of the first and stayed in control the rest of the way.

So what’s the problem?

Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen averaged 35 minutes in blowout games!! In each of the blowout games mentioned, the big three played entirely too much. Even worse, Garnett and Pierce are averaging about 38 minutes per game for the season, and Ray Allen is averaging more than 39 minutes. There’s only one word for letting these three guys play so many minutes so early in the season — INSANITY.

The Celtics are headed for trouble — they’ve got a bunch of 30-somethings playing major minutes. Garnett is 31. Allen is 32. Paul Pierce is 30. Because these guys are on the wrong side of 30, they’re more likely to get injured. That’s by no means a slam — it’s just a fact of life. The smart move would be to let the “big 3″ play enough minutes to win the game, and then not one minute more. So why are Pierce, KG, and Jesus Shuttleworth running 35+ in blowout games?!

I know that all three of these guys have averaged nearly 40 minutes a game in their careers, and that they’re each athletic enough to handle the load. But there’s no getting around the fact that these guys should be playing less minutes every year, not more. This point is so obvious to me that it really makes me wonder what the problem is. Coach Doc Rivers and GM Danny Ainge know the game, and they should be trying to cut back on minutes in order to protect their biggest assets.

So why does Rivers allow these guys to play so much in games that are often over in the 2nd quarter?

It’s because the Celtics have almost no depth. Rivers is allowing his superstars to play league-leading minutes because he thinks that’s the only way they can win. Obviously, that’s bad. 82 games @ 38+ minutes a night = three tired veterans come playoff time. Does anyone really believe that Garnett, Pierce, and Allen will ALL be healthy and ready to go after 6 months of that kind of abuse?

It’s hard to win a championship, let alone a playoff series, when your top players have played 38+ an entire season.

If the prospect of failing come playoff time isn’t enough, there’s another problem with these insane minutes — Boston isn’t developing their bench. Big Baby Davis is playing about 6 minutes a game, despite an above average rebounding rate per 48. Tony Allen — a guy who shot 51% from the field last year — is averaging only 12 minutes. Powe, a promising 2nd rounder, hasn’t even cracked 5 minutes in one game! Only veterans Posey and House are getting decent run, but that’s not very smart. Boston needs to develop their future talent, and the best way to do that is playing in NBA garbage time.

Here’s what the Celtics need to do:

1) Copy the Spurs. San Antonio could probably win 70 games a season by playing Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili 40 minutes a night, but they’re too smart for that. They limit their veterans during the regular season (especially during the first half of the regular season), keeping Duncan and Parker to less than 35 minutes a night, and Ginobili to less than 30. If that means they lose some close games, so be it. The team will be rested and ready come playoff time.

2) Develop the bench, even if it costs them some games. Boston’s bench sucks — with the exception of House and Posey, they don’t have anyone who could jump in and play starter’s minutes. But that can change — Big Baby Davis is a talent that could give them some inside scoring punch, once he gets some minutes. Tony Allen is set to explode this year after a great season last year. Pruitt (if he wasn’t sent down to the d-league) and Powe might be able to provide some solid minutes every night, if they can just get their feet under them. Besides, so what if the Celtics lose some close games? They don’t need to run the table to get a decent spot in the playoffs — they just need to win the division. Considering how poorly New Jersey and Toronto have started (not to mention Philly and New York), it’s quite possible it will only take 45 wins to win the Atlantic. I’m not saying they should coast just yet, but it might be alright to rest a little.

3) Rivers needs to take control and use his head. I still can’t get over it — what is Rivers thinking? Take the home opener against the Wizards — that game was over by halftime. Why didn’t Rivers give his bench players more time to beat up on the Wizards? They could use the confidence, and you’ve always got the big 3 in reserve if the game starts to get away from you. I’m sure that Rivers probably wanted to let his big dogs run in front of the home crowd, and I’m sure that none of the big stars wanted to sit, but Rivers is the head coach. He needs to act like one.

Despite this problem, there is some good news: If the Celtics can develop some of their younger players, ratchet down “the big three” to 30-35 minutes a night, and stay injury free, there’s absolutely no reason to believe they can’t compete for the NBA championship. They’re pretty damn good.

Don’t get me wrong, it is great to see Kevin Garnett attacking the boards, and Ray Allen gliding through the lane. The new Celtics and the new Celtics team play with a passion not seen in these parts in years. They rebound, play defense, and they have the potential to score a lot of points. You watch the game believing they are going to win, and you don’t see the dumb mistakes that young teams make.

Even Paul Pierce looks like a new player. A friend of mine even commented that he looks like he is trying too hard. It is as if he wants to prove to Kevin Garnett that he still is an elite player. Pierce may also be trying to hang on to top-star billing. For as much as the media refers to the “Big 3,” Kevin Garnett is the real superstar on this team. KG is the best player and is already the heart and soul of this team. Pierce and Allen are stars, but KG is a superstar.

It is going to take some time to get used to the new team. It has been easier for the folks who haven’t paid much attention since Antoine Walker left the first time. For the rest of us, it will take several hard fought victories with a few frustrating Doc Rivers’ engineered losses mixed in, before we can call this team our own.