Shaquille O'Neal made his return on Sunday night after missing two months with an inflamed Achilles, but the comeback didn't last long.
Shaq left after just five minutes, limping off the floor in pain. Surprisingly, this is an entirely different ailment.
"It's not the same injury," coach Doc Rivers said after the game. "It has nothing to do with the Achilles. It's a calf strain. It's not a bad strain, but it's a strain. It's similar to the one Von [Wafer] had, but not even close in severity."
Wafer had a calf injury in March; he missed 13 games before returning this week. Kevin Garnett also strained a calf muscle earlier this season; he missed nine games in December and January.
The Celtics are optimistic that Shaq's absence will be shorter than that.
"I don't think very long, honestly," Rivers said. "[Team physician Brian] McKeon and them thought it was very minor. Scary more than anything."
The Celtics, who now stand at 53-23 on the season, have just six games left before the playoffs get underway. Shaq's injury presents a dilemma — do they give the 39-year-old big man a long rest, or do they push him to prepare fully for the upcoming playoff run?
"I don't know what to do, honestly," Rivers said. "My inclination is he needs to play. We need to play at full tilt for six more games. But I don't know the answer to that yet."
