Just a couple of months ago, the Boston Celtics won their 18th championship in franchise history after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. However, despite holding the record for most NBA championships in history once again, it had been a while since they raised a banner. Before this year, the Celtics had not won a championship since 2008. Led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a six-game series to win their 17th championship. Since then, the Celtics had two additional NBA Finals appearances. In 2010, they lost to the Lakers in seven games. 12 years later, the Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. However, despite the NBA Finals drought, the Celtics were very close numerous times in between. Most notably, the 2010-11 season is a wild what-if scenario for Celtics fans.
Fresh off their NBA Finals loss in 2010, the Celtics were looking to get their revenge. In the offseason, the team brought in legend Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal’s stint with the team, now known infamously as “Celtics Shaq” was disappointing. On the year, O’Neal averaged 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. However, he only appeared in 37 games, including two of nine in the playoffs. Recently, Garnett spoke about O’Neal’s season in Boston, saying the Celtics would have won a championship if the former Lakers big man never got injured.
Kevin Garnett compares LeBron James joining Golden State to Shaq joining the Celtics.
“If he don’t get hurt, we win.”
(🎥 @allthesmokeprod ) pic.twitter.com/AZg7X33jVD
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 20, 2024
Kevin Garnett Reveals Why the Boston Celtics Failed to Win a Championship in 2011
Kevin Garnett May Have a Point About Shaquille O’Neal and the Celtics
It is no secret that O’Neal was not the same guy he was in his back in 2011. He was decent, but he left much to be desired on the court. When the Celtics signed O’Neal, the plan was not for him to become the regular starter all season. However, once starting center Kendrick Perkins returned, it only took 12 games before the team traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder. As we know now, this turned out to be a disastrous trade. Jeff Green, the main player the Celtics got in return, was solid for the team. However, he never blossomed into the star they hoped he would. Additionally, Nenad Krstic only appeared in 24 games for the Celtics and was a non-factor in the playoffs.
Ultimately, the Celtics needed a true big man on the court. This is something they lacked with the Perkins trade and O’Neal’s constant injuries. Additionally, the Celtics were 37-11. when O’Neal played his last full game for the team on February 2 before missing all but one game the rest of the way. This was good enough for the No. 1 seed in the East at the time. Furthermore, the Celtics were 28-9 when O’Neal was on the court. It is clear that his absence made it difficult for the Celtics to keep up with the rest of the league.
The Celtics ended up losing in the second round of the 2011 playoffs to the Miami Heat.
The Last Word on Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal
The Celtics were one of the best teams in the league during the 2010-11 season. Having O’Neal certainly would have helped them make a deeper playoff run. To say they would have won for sure with O’Neal healthy is debatable, however, due to the rest of the competition.
