Shaq Attack!

Rivers stressed that none of those injuries should keep any of that quartet off the floor. And only a setback will detour Shaq, who is expected to play limited minutes off the bench.

With all signs pointing towards everyone playing including Shaq, the question is, can Shaq really give the Celtics a chance? I believe so, not just for his play being able to help the team, but the flexibility he gives Doc Rivers with the roster. This is all also of course relying on 39 year old Shaq actually playing more then 6 minutes before going on another couple month break.

During the regular season the five man unit that had the best adjusted +/- for the Celtics was the big four plus Shaq. This is not by mistake. Shaq brings a big body that alters opponents shots in the paint, opponents are not grabbing boards over him, you can't leave him to double as he can still finish strong, and he will get some desperately needed offensive boards and second chances points. His two main weakness's do not hurt the Celtics close as much as they would any other team. Shaq's loss of all quickness is covered up by being paired with KG, the 2nd best defensive big man in the league. The other main complaint of Shaq is his clogging of the paint on offense. This is not close to as important to the Celtics as the C's rely on good ball movement and jump shots more then any other team in the NBA. If anything, Shaq's occupance of the paint is a good thing for the Celts, as he can't be left alone and therefore spreads the defense. Without Shaq in the lineup, Joel Anthony has regularly double teamed this series without paying a price. This is a perfect example of a shot Shaq would finish strong and would be getting an easy dunk or an and 1.

While I doubt Shaq will be close to how good he was at the very start of the regular season, him playing 75% is still better then Kristic on the court or Big Baby playing the 5. The most important part of him coming back, and the most underrated, is finally allowing players to play their positions. Kristic can take his rightfully deserved position at the end of the bench, JO/Shaq can play about 40 combined minutes at the 5, Big Baby can play the 4, and Jeff Green can finally play the 3.

Along with Shaq coming back, here are four changes that MUST happen if the Celtics want a shot at this series:

• Along with being quick and athletic enough to double and get back to his man, Joel Anthony has also been lucky. KG's money shots, a 20 foot jumper, has been given to him due to the double and KG has just not been hitting it. This has to, and I think will, change. If it doesn't and Joel Anthony continues to double without paying for it then this series is over. This takes Rondo completely out of the game as it is not allowing him to finish his drive over Anthony and dishing to the open man is not getting points either.
• Celtics need to stop setting up plays with Big Baby as the number one option. I have no idea why Doc Rivers keeps on doing this, or is allowing it to happen. There is no reason to be running an iso play for Big Baby late in the fourth with the big three on the court. I could understand if it was during the regular season and you want Big Baby to get his confidence up, but this is the playoffs. Big Baby's jump shot has been horrible as has everything else he has done these playoffs. Big Baby's combined +/- for the two games this series is -35. The next worst Celtic is Ray Allen with -21. -14 is a huge difference over just 2 games. Big Baby is 4 for 12 from the field and is not helping on either side of the ball. He should be a last option with the starters and the 2nd or 3rd option with the back ups as Green and West are both playing better and more efficient then Baby. You can only hope Big Baby's play is due to him playing out of position.
• I don't want to be that guy.. But the officiating so far has been atrocious. Peirce got kicked out of Game One on a tech that has already been rescinded, Wade shoots fade away jumpers and falls untouched and whistles blow, and Boston players can bring it straight the rack and get clobbered while refs look the other way. It seems every time the Celtics are making a run there is a call to bail out the Heat, slow down the game, and give them easy points at the line. Through two games Heat have shot 68 free throws compared to Boston's 40. The Heat are a team that attacks the rim more, but not close to 28 free throws through two games more. The refs are calling two different games depending on what side of the court the ball is on. I am surprised Tommy Heinsohn has not had a heart attack yet. I won't say the Celtics would of won those games if the officiating was good, as the Celtics have played horribly, but it certainly does not help. Basketball is a game of runs, and the officials can easily end one with a bad call. The good thing for the Celtics is that although David Stern may want the Heat to win the series, he definitely wants it to go at least 6 games.
• On defense, the Celtics need to start forcing both LeBron James and Dwayne Wade to their right. The Celtics have had huge success doing this in the past and have turned the Heat/Cavs offense into repeated iso plays and difficult shots. Allowing them to go left is allowing them to play their game. I don't know if the Celtics have abandoned the strategy or just have not implemented correctly. Either way, they need to do a better job.