While coach Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat have already finalized their starting lineup for Tuesday night’s opener at the TD Garden, Doc Rivers‘ Celtics are a little bit more hesitant.
Spoelstra announced Monday that he would start Joel Anthony at center and Carlos Arroyo at point guard alongside his three-man nucleus of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. As for Rivers, his lineup is still a work in progress. He still has a decision to make between his two starting centers — Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal, and he hasn’t yet arrived at a final choice.
“I haven’t,” Rivers insisted Monday. “But most likely Shaq, to be honest. We haven’t officially announced it, but most likely Shaq.”
Shaq has played 1,170 games in the NBA over 18 seasons, and he’s started 1,161 of them. Tuesday night will be his first regular-season game with the Celtics, his sixth NBA team.
