LeBron James and the Celtics have taken part in some legendary postseason battles over the years. That included a five-year stretch when James opposed the Celtics four times in the playoffs, twice with Cleveland and twice with Miami.
After Boston bested James while the forward was with Cleveland in 2008 and ’10, James got his revenge in 2011 and ’12 by beating the Celtics as a member of the Heat. However, one former Celtic believes believes Boston should have a series win over James’s Heat.
Shaquille O’Neal spent the final season of his NBA career with Boston, but an injury limited him to just two playoff games in 2011. The Hall of Famer believes the injury cost that Celtics team a chance at another NBA Finals run.
“I always think that if I wouldn’t have got hurt, we could have at least made it to the Finals,” O’Neal said, via Heavy’s Steve Bulpett. “I always say that. I wish Danny [Ainge] didn’t trade [Kendrick Perkins] that year, because, I mean, we were like No. 1 throughout the whole year.”
Specifically, O’Neal says he would have bullied James and Dwyane Wade on the court.
“I was just a role player then, but if we’d have made it to this thing, I would have f—-- LeBron and D-Wade up in the playoffs,” he said. “I promise I would have. That would have been my role. Like, as soon as they come to the hole, touch ’em up.”
That Celtics team had a 56-26 regular-season record, which ranked third in the East, just two games behind the Heat’s 58-24 record. Boston lost to Miami, 4-1, in the conference semifinals a year after beating James’s Cavs in the same round.
O’Neal played in 37 games in his final season, totaling a career-low 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
The Heat advanced to the 2011 NBA Finals but ultimately lost to the Mavericks in six games.
