When Kobe Bryant won his fifth NBA Championship he boasted having more rings than Shaquille O'neal, the man so many said Kobe could not win without. Now Shaq has begun his road to redemption, by choosing a team that he knows has a great chance to reclaim the NBA throne. No longer in his prime Shaq will offer no bold statements of grandeur, but with a workman-like approach he will fly under the radar. Shaq will make his statements on the court and is going to take the NBA by surprise, yes as a bench player, but the impact will be felt.
The reason Shaq lobbied to join the Boston Celtics was because he felt they had the best chance to return to the NBA Finals. Even in the wake of the assembly of "Super Team" (the Miami Heat) Shaq wanted to join a new team that he felt had the best chance. Not asking to rejoin Kobe, Dwyane Wade, or Lebron James, but to join the aging Big Three. Shaq won without Kobe and he will join the Celtics to win without Wade. O'neal could have lobbied to join any number of teams (as their was interest) in the early offseason and could have joined the Hawks or Pistons for eight million dollars (far more than the Celtics will pay him) towards the end. Shaq put it best by saying: "..it was about being somewhere, being seen, and winning." (O'neal)
The main reason the Celtics lost against the Lakers in Game 7 was a serious lack of size and ultimately rebounding. With Kendrick Perkins out for the season finale the C's were left with an undersized power forward (in Glen Davis) and Rasheed Wallace for big men. The result was a Laker victory in rebounding (53-40) and another Championship for LA. Shaq O'neal gives the Celtics an immense rebounder and shot blocker that can still bully around most centers in the NBA.
When Shaq was lobbying to join the Celtics well before any contract was offered, I knew this was significant. Shaq's main goal is to win another ring, but he wants to do it on his own terms. He does not want to just jump aboard one of his old teams to win another title, he wants to earn it. Shaq felt and feels that Boston is the best place for him to get another crack at the Finals. With four rings he will only need one more to complete what I'll call the "Hand". Five rings give Shaq Hand status and all Boston Celtics fans should be thrilled for his arrival.
Sources Used
www.espn.com
www.si.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com
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