Doc Rivers: Shaq to Be Ready by Game 3 ‘For Sure’

The Celtics have said it many times, but this time you should apparently believe it (maybe?), Shaquille O’Neal will play professional basketball again this year, and presumably very soon. From the Boston Herald: “The daily, and tiresome, Shaquille O’Neal watch may finally be nearing its end. Before Game 1 of the Celtics’ series with the Miami Heat [Sunday], coach Doc Rivers, nearly guaranteed that Shaq, who is inactive [in Game 1], will play in either Game 2 or 3. The O’Neal updates have been a daily occurrence for the past three months and despite numerous positive updates, O’Neal has remained sidelined (except for a five-minute stretch in early April) … ‘He’s getting very close,’ Rivers said. ‘Honestly, we had to actually make the decision today so that’s better than what we had to do in the past. He’s getting close. Maybe next game. If not, I would say, for sure, Game 3.’ That’s the most definitive timetable Rivers has provided, but O’Neal still is having some issues with his right calf and Achilles tendon.”