ATLANTA - The question when the Celtics brought in a player like Shaquille O'Neal, whose personality is as big as it is bankable, was how he would mesh with Kevin Garnett, who's completely comfortable being crabby on the court. There was this idea that Shaq somehow would lighten Garnett's mood.
Then the Celtics lost back-to-back games, and Garnett was his typically maniacal self
"I think Kevin's always going to be Kevin," coach Doc Rivers said. "You could put Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy next to Kevin and he's going to be Kevin Garnett."
But so far, the combination has worked. Last night, they posted double-doubles in the same game for the first time this season. Garnett (17 points, 11 rebounds) put up his sixth double-double of the season. O'Neal (13 points, 11 rebounds) went for his first. "I think it's a relationship of respect," O'Neal said. "We've both had many battles over the years. We both have seen what each other can do over the years. So we basically can say anything to each other."
O'Neal's presence on the floor takes some of the burden off Garnett, and vice versa
"Being that they've got to respect him, it leaves a lot of room for me," O'Neal said. "And since they respect me, it's a lot more room for him. So we're going to use each other and I think it's a good fit." Garnett said, "Shaq is like a paradise, man. You ever wash your sheets and then when you go out, you hang them out and when the sun dries them you smell your sheets? That's what Shaq is."
The Celtics continued to be cautious with Rajon Rondo, letting the point guard rest for the second straight game to heal the left hamstring he strained Friday night against Oklahoma City. Rondo tested the hamstring last night, hoping he could play after sitting out against Toronto, but Rivers consulted with trainer Eddie Lacerte and decided to keep Rondo out of the lineup. Rivers was uncertain whether Rondo would be ready tomorrow against the Nets.
"If it's an ankle, you always push the envelope," Rivers said. "If they say they can play, you usually let them play. But if it's a hamstring, I don't even consult with Rondo on a hamstring. It's straight what Eddie says.
"The player has very little input with hamstring injuries because they all think they can play. Then they get out and they tear it, and now you're out for the year. So I don't think I've asked Rondo one question about his hamstring." Rondo missed time last January with a hamstring injury. "There's just no benefit of playing one of your key guys, or any guy, getting them injured, and now they're out for the season or longer than they should be," Rivers said. "I would rather take the approach of doing without him early right now, and in a lot of ways it could help your team in the long run."
The low-stakes bidding war last summer for O'Neal's services for the most part swung back and forth between the Hawks and the Celtics. O'Neal's $10 million asking price was the sticking point
"I could have went anywhere, but the one thing I wanted, I wanted to win," he said. "I think if I would have come [to Atlanta], y'all would have been looking at me to be the savior, and my savior days are over at 38. That's why I decided to take less money and come to Boston. But if Rick [Sund] would have offered that $10 [million] I was talking about, then I probably would have been here. Ten makes you change your mind."
Atlanta and Boston were offering the same money, but the veteran's minimum looks different when you're playing for a Finals team than it does when you're playing for a playoff contender
"We certainly had a strong interest in him," said Hawks coach Larry Drew. "He just made the decision that it was Boston where he wanted to go. We had talked about it. We had done our homework and our research. He was a name that we had a strong, strong interest in and we pursued it. But he just made the decision to go to Boston."
He would have started stretching, but rookie guard Avery Bradley honestly didn't know Rivers was going to call his number. With Rondo out, Rivers said anyone in a uniform was an option, including Bradley, who hadn't played all year because of an ankle injury but came along on the two-game trip just in case. With 6:11 left in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics ahead by 27 points, Rivers threw Bradley in for the first time this season
Bradley immediately grabbed a rebound, raced the other way, drew a foul on Maurice Evans, and made two free throws for his first NBA points.
He played the rest of the game, and every time he touched the ball - from the two shots he missed to the travel he was whistled for - he heard his teammates on the bench screaming their support. "Just to keep my confidence up," said Bradley, who added that his ankle was at 95 percent. "Just to let me know that I'm going to make mistakes, I just have to keep getting reps. I have to get used to playing in a game. Not to get down on myself. I'm going to make mistakes. I've just got to keep getting better."
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