Doc Rivers originally addressed the media Wednesday morning to say Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't practice Thursday. The big fella wasn't quite ready.
On Thursday, the Celtics' coach changed his mind.
"He's going to go a little bit today, actually," Rivers said Thursday regarding O'Neal. "Not much — he's going to do skeleton work today, and practice tomorrow hopefully. That's the latest."
With the Miami Heat's win Wednesday night in their first-round series against the Sixers, the C's are left with just two days of practice remaining before their travel day Saturday. They're locked into a Game 1 meeting with the Heat on Sunday afternoon.
By rushing Shaq back Thursday, the C's are giving the big man a chance to be ready for Sunday at American Airlines Arena. It's not a slam dunk that the 39-year-old center will play the opener against the Heat, but it's a possibility.
The real test for Shaq will be Friday, when he attempts to go through a full-contact practice with his Celtic teammates. More updates to come.
