In 2011, Shaquille O’Neal served out his last season in the NBA. Playing for the Boston Celtics, Shaq was a shadow of his former self, only averaging a measly nine points and four rebounds per game. Nevertheless, he was still hopeful of winning a fifth NBA Championship. He even thought he could beat a tandem of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade!
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With the likes of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo on the team, The Big Aristotle’s hopes were not unfounded. However, they had a tough set of opponents in their way. Including, and not limited to the Miami Heat. A team led by the likes of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
D-Wade and The King proved too much to handle for The C’s. Much like the Heat of today is proving the same to be true, a decade later. Speaking to Heavy Sports on the sidelines of the TD Garden, Shaq made a bold claim. He felt that if the 2011 Celtics still had Kendrick Perkins, they would have won a championship.
Shaquille O’Neal claims Kendrick Perkins could have been the key to beating LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in 2011
As things stand, it looks like the eight-seeded Miami Heat could eliminate the second-seeded Boston Celtics. A huge deal, considering they would become only the second team to reach the Finals as the eighth seed. It might be a lofty feat, but let’s not forget, the Celtics are used to losing to Miami.
Reminiscing about his days with the Cs, Shaquille O’Neal commented on his time in Boston following Game 2. He recalled how the 2011 Celtics lost to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semis.
A gut-wrenching loss, but one that Shaq believes could have easily gone the other way. How? Well, he claims he would have “f***ed up” both Bron and Wade if only the Celtics hadn’t traded Kendrick Perkins to the OKC Thunder. The addition of Big Perk and a lack of injuries has O’Neal convinced that they could have beaten the Heat and maybe gone on to win an NBA Championship.
“I always think that if I wouldn’t have got hurt, we could have at least made it to The Finals. I always say that. I wish Danny Ainge didn’t trade Kendrick Perkin that year, because, I mean, we were like No. 1 throughout the whole year. 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. I promise I would have. That would have been my role. Like, as soon as they come to the hole, touch ’em up.”
Shaq says his Celtics team would’ve beat LeBron and DWade
“I always think that if I wouldn’t have got hurt, we could have at least made it to The Finals… I would have f*cked LeBron and D-Wade up in the playoffs. I promise I would have.”
(Via @SeanDeveney ) pic.twitter.com/GOjyBmCvvm
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 21, 2023
It certainly would have been something, but there are a lot of things he hasn’t considered. Shaq retired after his stint with the Celtics, but prior to that, the Heat team that knocked him out made it all the way to the NBA Finals, only to lose.
Despite beating Shaq and the Celtics, the Heat lost the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks
Shaq retired after the 2011 season, but before he could, the team he claimed he could beat, the Miami Heat, made it to the NBA Finals. However, despite having Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and of course, LeBron James they fell short to Drik Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.
So, even if he had Perk and managed to make it to the Finals, things wouldn’t have been easy. Shaq and The C’s would have had Dirk and the Mavs to deal with.
