When Shaquille O'Neal exploded onto the NBA scene in 1992, I was 11-years-old and wanted nothing more than to see the 7-1, 285-pound center wearing Celtics Green.
Well, fast foward eighteen years and an additional 75 (or 100) pounds and my wish has finally come true. The Celtics have signed the 15-time All-Star who has won four championships and an MVP trophy in a career that began in Orlando and had stops in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and Cleveland.
While the C's are not getting the Shaq that dominated the NBA from his rookie season in 1992 through his glory years with the Lakers and Heat, he will give them a large presence in the middle and add needed rebounding to a team that saw Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals slip away as the Lakers took control of the paint.
Shaq joins a frontline of Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, and - when he returns from knee surgery - Kendrick Perkins. It is a veteran group that will be able to physically intimidate opponents and makes the Celtics the favorites (in my book) to win the Eastern Conference and knock off the Lakers for their 18th championship in franchise history.
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