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Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
"I guess they came out to see number 26 today," O'Neal said.
The only No. 26 on the floor Saturday was official Bob Delaney.
"He (No. 26) was a great player out there today," O'Neal said.[...] "It's just two good guys (Howard and O'Neal) going out there hard," O'Neal said. "I just wish we had the opportunity to play."
O'Neal added, "They (fans) paid all that money to watch No. 26 play. If I was a fan, I would be pissed. You pay all that money for good seats, you have two of the best guys in the (NBA) sitting on the bench, out of the game. That is what happens when you have control freaks out there."
CSNNE: Shaq's comments likely to draw fine
Yeah, that'll cost him a few bucks.
There were a few bad calls on both ends of the court. This is one of those games that will have both sides crying about the refs. Both teams were allowed to do a lot out there (except the centers, I suppose). Hard to complain about what they're doing to you when you get to a lot of the same things to them.
Related links: Herald: Shaq's day short, but career may go longer than expected
On Page 2: No Shaq and No other options at center make Baby something something
He could barely muster the strength to talk, which is what playing a season-high 39 minutes, mostly against Dwight Howard, will do. The Celtics were hurt in many areas by injuries in this Christmas Day matchup in the palatial Amway Center.
[...] “Because Shaq’s in foul trouble, we had to keep Baby out there. And the pick-and-rolls down the stretch where we had to show, honestly, I don’t know if Baby could show.
“He was exhausted. I told him, ‘I couldn’t take you off the floor. I knew you were exhausted. Shaq’s in foul trouble, I had nowhere else to go.’ I told him, ‘I’m sorry.’ It is what it is and we’ve still got to find a way.’’
Rivers said he is fine with Shaquille O’Neal playing aggressive and he’s going to trust O’Neal to use his discretion regarding tight officiating.
It's going to take a little while before Jermaine O'Neal is ready to go regular minutes and, let's be honest here, he won't really be able to play Dwight 1-on-1 anyway.
Baby is, and has been Doc's primary option to bang against Dwight Howard when Kendrick Perkins went out. So with Shaq playing Perk's role, not much changed. With Perk back, everything changes. So let's not put too much into how this game went. Both teams are going to be different even the next time around in a few weeks.
I liked how Doc told him "I'm sorry". I guess when you're thrown in the fire for 39 minutes, mostly against a monster like Dwight, an "I'm sorry" is appropriate.
The rest of the links
ESPN Boston: Video analysis: how the Celtics lost | First impressions | WEEI: Fast Break: The end of the streak | Herald: Celtics run comes to streaking halt in Florida | Celtics take a healthy approach | Stan Van Gundy's war on holiday hoops | Point woes in full force | Globe: Streak snapped by Magic | Injuries finally catch up with Celtics | CSNNE: Tommy Heinsohn, the world's biggest elf | Davis: Howard's moves haven't changed since high school | Rivers: It's more than just Rondo | Davis: In playoffs, Magic can't beat us | Despite loss, Celtics not impressed with revamped Magic | A loss befitting of their streak | Early return by Perkins could pay huge dividends