Heat star LeBron James (right) punish Vince Carter and the Mavericks for 37 points and 10 rebounds on Christmas Day. (REUTERS)

The Dallas Mavericks celebrated their 2011 NBA title with a spectacular ring ceremony and unveiling of the team’s first championship banner on Christmas Day. Then, they got their bell rung by a Miami Heat squad that looks extremely motivated and primed for a huge run in 2012. Here are five observations from opening day in the NBA:

LEBRON, HEAT LOOK SCARY GOOD

You never kick a man when he’s down and that’s what everyone in the basketball world did when LeBron James melted down in the 2011 NBA Finals. LeBron went into the offseason with one thing in mind: have more fun. It’s a simple approach but it could mean a world of difference for the two-time MVP because he simply didn’t do a good job of playing the role of villain. LeBron admitted he wasn’t himself last season and vowed to return to his old self by . . . smiling and joking more.

Micky Arison and Pat Riley were all smiles on Christmas Day after watching LeBron go for 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the Heat’s 105-94 demolition of the Mavericks, spoiling Dallas’ championship banner day. The Heat have all their main parts intact, with some key additions in rookie point guard Norris Cole and reliable forward Shane Battier, and Dwyane Wade and LeBron appear to be in midseason form already. Both promised to post up more this season and they delivered in a big way in the opener, punishing the Mavs in the paint.

MAVERICKS HAVE SOME WORK TO DO

Entering the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season, the Mavs will have a brand new look. Tyson Chandler is off to New York, reliable backup point guard J.J. Barea (who absolutely killed the Lakers) is now in Minnesota, forward Caron Butler is now an L.A. Clipper, and sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic has retired.

The Mavericks did add Vince Carter and Delonte West, and stole Lamar Odom from the Lakers. But one game into their season as defending champions, Carter was exposed on defense and Odom hasn’t gotten over the fact that he’s no longer a Laker. The Mavericks are a work in progress and will take time adjusting to their new pieces. The biggest difference is in the middle as Brendan Haywood proved he is not Tyson Chandler, especially on the defensive end where Chandler made his money last season.

NEVER COUNT OUT KOBE AND THE LAKERS

We already know about Kobe Bryant’s legendary pain threshold, having endure many, many injuries in the past only to overcome them all and thrive. But he took it a step further in the opener against the Chicago Bulls when he started the game and showed little effects of a torn ligament in his right wrist. Medical experts predicted such an injury required a 3-4 week rest period, but Bryant completely destroyed that recommendation. Just another chapter in the ever growing legend of Kobe Bryant.

Bryant finished with 28 points against the Bulls and his jump shot looked good. OK, so he did have eight turnovers and none bigger than the miscue with 16 seconds left in the game that allowed Derrick Rose to nail the game-winner. But in terms of the wrist and the chronic knee problems he’s had in the past, Kobe looked refreshed and was active on the court, especially on defense where new coach Mike Brown will have his most influence on this team.

The Lakers may have lost in the opener but they came away feeling pretty good considering Kobe was supposed to be out four weeks and starting center Andrew Bynum is serving a four-game suspension. The Bulls had the best record in the East last season and they were extremely lucky to leave Staples Center with a one-point win.

OKLAHOMA CITY IS LOCKED IN AND LOADED

After a disappointing loss in the Western Conference finals last season, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and the rest of the young and lively Thunder have been itching to get back on the court flying across the country and seemingly playing in every exhibition game possible.

The 66-game lockout-shortened season is tail0rmade for a team such as Oklahoma City because the core of the team stayed intact and it’ll get a full season with Kendrick Perkins as the man in the middle. Perkins may be limited offensively but his defense is top notch, as he proved Sunday night against the Orlando Magic when he frustrated Dwight Howard to just three points in the second half and 11 total points.

Durant poured in a game-high 30 points while Harden and Westbrook combined for 35 points. The emergence of Harden as a bonafide producer off the bench will be huge because that affords coach Scott Brooks to sit either Durant or Westbrook without missing a beat. Look for the Thunder to grab the No. 1 seed in the West.

NO QUIT IN THE CELTICS

Put a hold on that 401K plan for Kevin Garnett and Co. because the Boston Celtics are not ready to collect their severance package. Despite a roster full of guys on the other side of 30 years old, the Celtics gave the New York Knicks and their much-publicized frontcourt of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all they can handle in a 106-104 close win for New York. The Celtics can still defend and have added a little more scoring punch with the addition of Brandon Bass and Marquis Daniels.

Bass had the first 20-point, 10-rebound game of his career and he is an upgrade from “Big Baby” Davis. Daniels gives coach Doc Rivers more flexibility because he can play shooting guard or small forward. Once Paul Pierce returns from his heel injury, the Celtics will have a solid seven-man rotation. If Rajon Rondo, who had 31 points and 13 assists in the opener, can become more of a consistent offensive threat Boston will challenge the Bulls, Knicks and Heat for the best record in the East.

Can Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce rediscover the championship form they displayed in 2008? (US PRESSWIRE)

Something is missing from the Boston Celtics and the team’s All-Star point guard senses it too.

After the Celtics were embarrassed by the Bulls and Heat, both games on national TV, Rajon Rondo admitted that his team is not the same battle-tested unit that flipped the switch during last season’s playoffs and made it back to the NBA Finals. “We’re a completely different team. It’s not the same team,” Rondo told the Boston Globe. “We’re not going to be able to turn it on like we did year. I don’t know what we’re waiting on but these types of games [against the top teams] we have to find a way to win. It’s a roller-coaster and right now we went back down today.”

Rondo also believes the Celtics are not playing with enough urgency, and they need to wake up before it’s too late. Is he right? Maybe so. But Rondo’s claim is probably not the real reason why the Celtics have struggled since the All-Star break. And not having center Kendrick Perkins, who is now in Oklahoma City, is only one aspect of the team’s recent slide.

The biggest reason why the Celtics are not playing at optimum level is simple: they have trouble scoring points.

Despite giving away Perkins, who may be one of the best low-post defenders in the Association, the Celtics’ defense has remained stout, limiting teams to under 90 points per game and 43% shooting from the field. However, the same can’t be said on the other end of the floor. Boston is currently 22nd in the league in scoring (96.6 points) and averages only 75 field goals per game, which is the fewest in the league.

Because the Celtics don’t hoist up a lot of shots, this puts a tremendous amount of pressure on their defense to keep the games close and each offensive possession is magnified. Even though the team shoots 48% from the field (which is the best in the league), the Celtics have to be near perfect on offense each game, and puts a tremendous burden on older players like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Rondo is absolutely on point when he said the Celtics are “not the same team.” But it’s not about getting the new players such as Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy and Delonte West into the mix. It’s more about The Big Three have declined and could be on their last legs.

During their championship season in 2008 and the season after that, head coach Doc Rivers used to rely on Pierce to create offense and put pressure on the defense by drawing fouls. But Pierce’s game has declined the last two seasons. His scoring has dipped from 20.5 in 2008-09 to 18.8 this season. He is also not getting to the foul line as much, attempting only 5.7 per game compared to 6.1 last year and 6.8 in 2008-09.

Allen’s numbers has also declined the past two seasons, as his scoring average has dipped to 16.6 from 18.2 two seasons ago. And despite a major rebirth this season, Garnett’s scoring average (14.8) is a full point lower than his PPG from 2008-09 (15.8).

One of the reasons why GM Danny Ainge decided to trade Perkins was to upgrade Boston’s second unit and get more scoring. Although Green is an upgrade from Marquis Daniels at small forward, he’s only giving Boston 9.4 points per game off the bench which is only two points better than what Perkins was averaging (7.3) before the trade.

Rivers is not about to waste Pierce, Allen and Garnett during the regular season, but all signs point to a major struggle to produce points once the playoffs begin with very little help from the supporting cast.

Carmelo Anthony is the most heralded superstar to wear the New York Knicks uniform since Patrick Ewing. But the Knicks paid a heavy price to acquire him. (Jason Miller/ US Presswire)

The two biggest losers, without a doubt, during NBA “Tradefest” were the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks got their man in Carmelo Anthony, but they practically gutted their team to get him. On the outside, the deal was a no-brainer and seemingly well worth a three-month headache. Melo is the most celebrated NBA superstar the Knicks have had since Patrick Ewing. Sorry, Amare. You are Robin to Carmelo’s Batman.

However, on the inside, the Knicks could have signed Anthony during the summer and kept all their pieces together. Anthony never intended to sign Denver’s offer sheet from the get-go. It was all posturing on his end, and to the Nuggets’ credit they never budged. It was a game of “who blinks first” and fortunately for Denver Knicks CEO James Dolan couldn’t stay patient and went all in too soon. He sent three quality players – Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler – to Denver, making the Knicks’ roster extremely thin.

The move falls totally on Dolan’s lap (with Isiah Thomas in his left ear) because if it were up to GM Donnie Walsh, the Knicks probably would have folded their cards last week and simply waited for Melo to walk through the front door of Madison Square Garden sometime in July with pen in hand itching to sign a contract with the team he so dearly wanted to play for. That would have given the Knicks are very potent lineup of Amare Stoudemire, Gallinari, Chandler, Felton and Anthony.

Dolan better hope Chris Paul lands in New York in 2012.

The other team that took a hit at the trade deadline was Boston. GM Danny Ainge may have caused a minor earthquake in Massachusetts by sending two very popular players in starting center Kendrick Perkins and backup point guard Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City in exchange for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic.

After losing in Denver on Thursday, just hours after the deal was done, an emotional Kevin Garnett – without question the heart and soul of the Celtics – had a difficult time coping with the loss of his teammates, telling reporters that it was an extremely “tough day” and he feels like he just “lost a family member.”

Perkins was not only the anchor of the Celtics interior defense but he was also a huge part of a Boston starting five, along with KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, that has never lost a playoff series when they are all healthy. That record will remain intact because Big Perk will no longer man the middle for Gang Green, grabbing loose balls, setting picks, battling Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol in the paint, intimidating refs and protecting the basket. All the intangibles that Perkins brings to the court will be missed.

Ainge was the toast of Beantown in 2007 when he acquired KG and Ray Allen and surrounded head coach Doc Rivers with a very capable roster. With this recent transaction, Ainge’s standing in the Celtics community is on thin ice. If the Celtics falter in the playoffs, Ainge could be roasted in Beantown.

On the court, expect nothing less than another MVP season from the NBA’s reigning most valuable player – and he’ll have Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to lean on when things get too heavy. There is little doubt that the new-look and new-improved Miami Heat is the beast of the Eastern Conference for the 2010-11 season. But there are two other teams in the East who could crash the party in South Beach: Boston and Orlando.

The Celtics, last time we checked, is the defending Eastern Conference champions and, when healthy, they remain a powerhouse. And you can’t find a more tough-minded ballclub. Last year, head coach Doc Rivers managed some of his “older” players so that they are ready to go for the playoffs. Expect much of the same this season, as Rivers will lean on Rajon Rondo even more during the regular season and the roles of bench players Nate Robinson and Glen Davis could expand.

At one point during last year’s playoffs, the Magic were the sexy pick to make the NBA Finals. But something went terrible wrong during the series with the Celtics and the Magic left very disappointed. Orlando is probably regretting not re-signing Hedo Turkoglu because Wince Carter can’t be relied on during crunch time. Dwight Howard must add some post-up moves to his game in order to lift the Magic past the Heat and Celtics.

The rest of the conference will be fighting for the other five spots. Chicago and Milwaukee will be competing for the Central Division title, and with it homecourt advantage in the first round. Atlanta has been moving up the ladder the past two seasons, but the Hawks have some in-house issues they must address. Larry Brown is good enough to get Charlotte in the playoffs, but the Bobcats may max out at No. 6-7. The final two playoff berths will come down to Charlotte, New York, Washington and Cleveland (yes, even without LeBron).

OneManFastBreak.net publisher and editor Joel Huerto predicts the eight teams that will make the Eastern Conference playoffs:

1. MIAMI HEAT (Projected record: 66-16)
The moment LeBron said “he’s taking his talents to South Beach” the Miami Heat instantly became the team to beat in the East. Nothing against the Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic, the last two NBA finalists from the conference, but the reloaded Heat have the recipe for an NBA title. They have arguably two of the best perimeter players in the league in James and D-Wade, an All-Star forward in Bosh who won’t clog the lane and is a decent rebounder, a capable sniper in Mike Miller and a veteran frontline that includes Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem. And don’t underestimate Erik Spoelstra as a game manager. There is a reason why Pat Riley handpicked him to take over the Heat program.

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James haven't played a meaningful game together as members of the Miami Heat, but they're still favored to win the East. (GETTY IMAGES)

2. ORLANDO MAGIC (Projected record: 60-22)
Stan Van Gundy is a very underrated head coach, and he certainly has a great feel for this Orlando team. Van Gundy has point guard Jameer Nelson to execute his offense, and Nelson has been playing at an all-star level the past two seasons. The plight of the Magic starts and ends with all-world center Dwight Howard. If Howard ever decides to improve on his low-post skills and become a more consistent, then the Magic could move into championship level. But if Howard stays status quo, then the Magic will fall back into the second tier of NBA contenders.

3. BOSTON CELTICS (Projected record: 58-24)
The Celtics are a year older and another deep postseason run has added more mileage to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Doc Rivers claims that KG will be better this season because his leg is now completely healed, but Rivers may be underestimating Garnett’s odometer. Pierce came into training camp in great shape, losing at least 10 pounds. Despite his advanced age, Allen remains a top gun in the league and he’ll have a better backup in Delonte West. Young guns Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson and Glen Davis will need to do most of the heavy lifting during the regular season to keep the old guys fresh for the playoffs.

4. CHICAGO BULLS (Projected record: 54-28)
This season, Derrick Rose will have to adjust to a new head coach in Tom Thibodeau and a new backcourt partner with the departure of the very dependable Kirk Hinrich, who really complemented Rose well the past two seasons. Free agents Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver will share time at shooting guard. The addition of power forward Carlos Boozer – whenever he’s ready to come off the injured list  – will help Chicago’s points in the paint and provide much-needed help to Joakim Noah on the boards. Boozer sets excellent screens and should fit into the Bulls’ pick-and-roll sets.

5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (Projected record: 52-30)
Scott Skiles is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and that was more evident last year when he pieced together a broken-down team and got them to the playoffs. Skiles’ floor general is second-year point guard Brandon Jennings, who could have easily been the 2010 Rookie of the Year. With a year under his belt, including a playoff appearance, Jennings is ready to take that next step and jump into the conversation that includes Rondo, CP3, D-Will, D-Rose, Nash and Westbrook. A healthy Andrew Bogut is the only thing keeping the Bucks from winning the Central Division.

6. ATLANTA HAWKS (Projected record: 51-31)
After winning 53 games last season, the Hawks will take a step back this season. The Hawks gave a ton of money to Joe Johnson (probably undeserved), but didn’t really improve their roster. With powerhouses Miami and Orlando in the same division, the Hawks will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year’s feat. Larry Drew takes over for Mike Woodson, who did a nice job rebuilding the Hawks but just couldn’t get them into the first tier. Drew is contemplating about moving undersized center Al Horford to power forward, move that will surely force Marvin  Williams to the bench. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford wants a new deal, but after giving Joe J. a fat $124 million contract, Crawford will be lucky if he remains in the ATL.

7. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (Projected record: 46-36)
Larry Brown is one of the best Xs and O’s bench jockeys in league history, and he will need every ounce of his teaching skills to get this Bobcats team into the playoffs again. Charlotte will lean heavily on swingmen Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace to set the tone for the tough-minded Bobcats, who led the league in defense last season. D.J. Augustin will take over the role of starting point guard with the departure of Raymond Felton. Brown has always preferred Augustin over Felton anyways so this shouldn’t be a tough transition. The biggest weakness for Charlotte is its ineptness on the offensive end. When Jackson is not hitting his shots and Wallace is sidelined (which is guaranteed to happen), the Bobcats can barely score 70 points.

8. WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Projected record: 43-39)
How good is John Wall? He’s good enough to push the Wizards into the playoffs this season. The 2010 first overall pick out of the University of Kentucky is a special player, and he will be the 2011 Rookie of the Year. Wall destroyed the competition at the NBA Summer Pro League in Las Vegas and paired really well with young stud JaVale McGee, who nearly made the U.S. national team. The addition of Kirk Hinrich helps the Wizards in a couple of ways: 1) he adds a veteran presence on offense and 2) he’s a lock-down defender, something the Wizards have never had since their Washington Bullets days. Gilbert Arenas has a lot to prove this season and could contend for Comeback Player of the Year.

The Boston Celtics are Shaquille O'Neal's sixth NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

Shaquille O’Neal has become exactly what he dreaded: a token NBA center.

This week, O’Neal agreed to terms with the Boston Celtics, his sixth NBA team and fourth in three years. He had previous stops in Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland. He will make the minimum salary of $1.4 million for the Celtics this season, a far cry from his $20 million contract last year. And he’ll have to come off the bench and back up Jermaine O’Neal – another center well past his prime. Talk about your fall from the NBA pedestal.

Shaquille O’Neal, the self-proclaimed MDE (Most Dominant Ever), the three-time NBA Finals MVP, The Big Diesel, The Big Aristotle and The Big Cactus, has turned into a novelty act. He took a massive pay cut and a reduced role just so he can have another shot at winning a championship. Check that! Just so he can ride on someone else’s bandwagon.

The player once known as the biggest and baddest player on the planet has accepted a small role with the Celtics.

Shaq loves being referred to as The Man of Steel, and despises the fact that Dwight Howard has “stolen” that moniker from him. But Shaq hasn’t been the Superman-like since 2006. He averaged a human-like 12 points and six rebounds last season for Cleveland and when the free agency period began on July 1 there were very little takers for the four-time NBA champion.

Shaq has said more than once that he doesn’t want to be remembered as a guy who hung on too long and played well past his prime. Well, I’ve got news for Shaq. Dude, you are officially hanging on too long.

Patrick Ewing hung on two years too long. He wore the colors of the Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic the last two years of his 17-year Hall-of-Fame career, the majority of it with the New York Knicks.

Hakeem Olajuwon hung on one year too long. He wore the colors of the Toronto Raptors in the final season of his 18-year Hall-of-Fame career, the majority of it with the Houston Rockets.

And Moses Malone hung on three years too long. He was a bit player for the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs in the final three seasons of his 19-year Hall-of-Fame career, highlighted by five dominant seasons with the Rockets and four with the Sixers.

Great NBA players, or great athletes for that matter, just don’t know when to quit. It’s a sad commentary on today’s, as well as yesterday’s, professional athlete. Shaq, who turns 39 in March, has become THAT GUY. He has turned into the player he used to poke fun at when he used to rule the NBA planet. He has become that YMCA baller who hated running up and down fullcourt and preferred to play only 3-on-3 halfcourt. Shaq used to be THE GUY everyone followed. Now, he has become a follower.

Superman has turned into an overweight Clark Kent, and is no longer The Big Headliner on the front pages of the Daily Planet.

Shaquille O'Neal has yet to sign with an NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

August is nearly here and Shaquille O’Neal is still a free agent. Not many teams are jumping at the chance to snag The Big Diesel, who is reportedly asking for a two-year deal worth around $8 million. O’Neal will be 39 years old in March and his once imposing presence and larger-than-life reputation has become nothing but a distant memory.

If O’Neal posted his resume on Craigslist it would read something like this: Three-time NBA Finals MVP looking for work …. Funny, outgoing and likes to come up with nicknames …. Prefers to play for a winning program ….  can only work half a season, and preferably just 24 minutes a day  and no more than 150 minutes per week …. Salary: negotiable …. Medical benefits: needs full coverage because of preexisting condition …. Work experience (by city): Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland …. Unique skills: space eater, hard to move, very strong …. Hobbies: likes to rap and dance (part-time member of the hip-hop group Jabbawockeez: America’s Best Dance Crew) …. References: available upon request.

If he retires now, after 18 seasons, O’Neal will leave with four championships, three NBA Finals most valuable player trophies and 15 All-Star game appearances, and he is second all-time in field-goal percentage at .581.

All those numbers are certainly good enough to put him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., but they all could have been better.

Shaq says he wanted to leave the game with at least five championships. He won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat, which leaves him one short of his goal. O’Neal could have won more than three with the Lakers, but he wasted a lot of “company time” arguing with Kobe Bryant. He won just one regular season MVP (2000) and never played more than 79 games in each of his eight seasons in L.A.

Although he helped lead the Heat to an NBA title in 2006, it was Dwyane Wade who was named Finals MVP. The last time O’Neal was an MVP was his first year in Miami (2005). From that point on, O’Neal’s scoring average has dropped like the stock market.

His 28,255 points puts him fifth on the all-time list for now, but he could have easily surpassed 30,000 had he not missed more than 5,000 free throws. Last year, he averaged just 12 points and six rebounds – half of what he averages for his career.

There were reports that the Hawks were interested in signing O’Neal, but their interest has diminished. The Celtics, who are in need of big men, toyed with idea of bringing in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to be out until January after knee surgery. Boston ended up signing an O’Neal, but it wasn’t Shaquille. Instead, the Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal agreed to a two-year deal and if Rasheed Wallace comes out of retirement it would be foolish for the Celtics to go after Shaq.

The Spurs were in The Diesel’s radar, but the signing of Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, the best big man in Europe last season, pretty much ended a Shaq-Duncan pairing.

So which teams can afford to fit O’Neal into their plans? Here are seven possible destinations for Shaq:

– New Orleans Hornets: Shaq played at LSU and wouldn’t mind a return to the Bayou. The Hornets have Emeka Okafor as their starting center, but he’s not immune to getting dealt. If the Hornets decide to keep Okafor, O’Neal will have to swallow his pride, take a pay cut and be Okafor’s backup. Not likely to happen, unless Chris Paul tells management that he wants to play with Shaq.

– Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut may take a while to heal, so the Bucks are looking to rent a center for a few months. Head coach Scott Skiles still holds Shaq in high regard and has maintained a solid relationship with The Big Aristotle. Shaq would fit right in Milwaukee and be the strong personality in the locker room for the young Bucks.

– Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC acquired 6-11 center Cole Aldrich in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t mind adding more size to their already very quick and athletic roster. However, Shaq will be a huge liability on both ends of the court and GM Sam Presti may be reluctant to bring in a big personality like the self-proclaimed MDE that would stunt the growth of 21-year-old leaders Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

– Atlanta Hawks: There is still an outside chance that O’Neal signs with the Hawks to bolster their very small frontline. But O’Neal must take less money or else this could be a deal-breaker.

– Boston Celtics: Ditto. If Shaq wants to have another shot at winning a championship ring, the Celtics may be his best opportunity. But, are the Celtics still interested?

– L.A. Clippers: Shaq back in L.A.? Wouldn’t that be something. This would be a longshot given the Clippers’ history of not being big players in the offseason, but bringing in a guy like Shaq would certainly upgrade the Clippers brand off the court. On the court, O’Neal would have to play behind Chris Kaman, but that’s easier said than done. O’Neal’s massive ego may not be able to handle that demotion. But if O’Neal agrees to play second fiddle and takes less money, it would certainly would inject some HGH into the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.

– Cleveland Cavaliers: Another longshot given Shaq’s wish of playing for contender. The Cavaliers’ championship aspirations went out the door as soon as LeBron James said “Good-bye to Cleveland” and “Hello to Miami.” O’Neal played with new Cavs head coach Byron Scott with the Lakers so playing for B-Scott shouldn’t be problem.

And should all of these teams pass on The Big Free Agent, there’s always a spot open with the Jabbawockees.

Shaquille O'Neal performs with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Seven minutes into Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Celtics lost their starting center when he came down awkwardly on his right knee while trying to grab an offensive rebound away from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Perkins fell to the floor and immediately pointed his right knee and called for the Boston medical staff.

He was helped off the court and taken to the locker room, and did not return. The initial report is that he tore two ligaments on his knee and is out for Game 7. He was seen leaving the arena on his own power, but definitely was favoring the knee.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said not having the 6-10, 280-pound Perkins puts the Celtics are at a huge disadvantage against the bigger and taller Lakers. “He’s one of our guys that gives us great spirit. He gives us a lot of toughness and gives us size. I hope he can play. It’ll be tough if he can’t. Somebody else is going to have to step forward. He cleans the paint up. Not having him there made the Lakers awfully long.”

Kendrick Perkins lays on the floor after injuring his right knee in the first quarter of Game 6. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Without Perkins manning the middle and cleaning up Boston’s bricks, the Celtics were manhandled, 52-39, on the boards and the Lakers dominated the game, 89-67, Tuesday night.

Rivers added that not having Perkins in the lineup allowed the Lakers to rest Bynum, who is nursing a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Lakers were able to tread water when their starting 7-foot center was on the bench. The Celtics, on the other hand, absolutely drowned when their starting center was taken out of the game.

You could sense that as soon as Perkins left the game, the Celtics were not the same team. In fact, seeing Perkins getting helped off the court really killed Boston’s spirit.

“I think we were a little focused on when Perk was going to come back instead of continuing to play. As soon as halftime came we all ran to the training room to see if he was OK. Our energy went down for a little bit, but for the most part it’s not an excuse. We just didn’t have it,” said Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who suffered a gash on his chin after running into Ron Artest’s elbow in the second half.

“Perk is our enforcer. He’s the biggest body we have on Bynum. He cleans the paint up for us. He does a lot of the intangibles. He’s a great shot-blocker, rebounder and he’s the anchor of our defense.”

Former Celtic Kevin McHale, who was at Game 6 covering the game for NBATV, said Perkins is one of the toughest players in the league and for him to sit this one out shows the seriousness of the injury. “Kendrick’s got a fairly severe knee injury and when you do something like that the swelling would be hard for them to eliminate. Believe me, when you have an injury like that, you go to bed thinking ‘You know Coach, I don’t feel that bad.’ Then you wake up the next morning and you put that first step in and it’s like someone hit you with a sledge hammer.”

The Celtics say they are still confident they can win the series even without their best post defender, but realistically their NBA title hopes may have disappeared when Perkins’ knee gave out.

But one thing is for sure, they’re not going to use Perkins’ injury as an excuse.

“Perk brings rebounding and defense to the game, and his toughness so you lose that. But that’s not an excuse,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “We’re a mentally tough team. We’ve had injuries all year, and we know how to win when guys go down.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com

Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen knocked down eight of 11 3-pointers against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record for most 3-point shots made in a game. He made eight of them, and all of them barely hit the rim. It was the kind of night shooters dream about. Catch the ball, get your feet set, release, and … SPLASH! Those who can shoot know that feeling. Those who can’t? Well, you can at least dream about it.

Allen’s jump shot was so pure and wet on Sunday night that it looked like Staples Center was the backlot of a Hollywood movie set and Allen was reliving his role as Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee’s joint “He Got Game.” Though Allen made it look easy, it certainly wasn’t. Try making seven 3-pointers in a row from 23 feet in an empty gym without a hand in your face. It might take you all day. Allen drained seven in a row in the first half against the best team in the league at defending threes.

“There’s so much going on out there from great screens being set to misdirection plays, making sharp cuts, and offensive rebounds – that’s best time to get a 3-point up. I thought they did everything they could to keep me from shooting threes working tirelessly, but we were setting great screens and getting to my spots,” said Allen, who finished with 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and was a blistering 8-for-11 from behind the arc.

“Starting the game off, you don’t want that first shot to be a 3-pointer. You want to work your way into the game. But if it has to be, it has to be. I try not to turn a shot down when I’m open for sure.”

And the Celtics are glad Allen didn’t turn down any of the 3-point looks he was given because Allen’s shooting exhibition was a big reason why the 2010 NBA Finals is now at 1-1.

Allen felt he never got a chance to make an imprint in Game 1 because he barely played, and he made sure things were going to be different in Game 2.

“The other night was frustrating. It was tough trying to adjust to the referees and I was watching from the sidelines. I just tried to root them on,” Allen said of his disappointing Game 1, a game in which he played only 27 minutes because of fouls. In Game 2, Allen played 43 minutes and was never in serious foul difficulty.

“Physically I felt great. I was getting to the spots that I need to, just never really got into a great rhythm,” Allen explained. “Tonight I was focused on adjustments to Kobe [Bryant] attacking, being in position before I could get back and help my teammates out. The bigs set great screens for me, [Rajon] Rondo pushed the ball in transition and we got a lot more fastbreak opportunities. We got stops so we were able to run.”

Allen and Rajon Rondo were instrumental in helping the Celtics build a 14-point lead in the first half, and even though the Lakers caught them in the second half it established a fast tempo the Celtics felt comfortable playing and didn’t allow the Lakers to set up their defense and pack the paint.

“Can’t say enough for what Ray did for us tonight, especially in the first half. He carried us the whole way,” said Rondo, who recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. “We played on our edge but Ray held us through it and took over the game. Me, personally, it was fun to watch. I was just trying to get him the ball.”

Allen added: “The ball bounced more in our favor. I think we had more activity in this game, we had more energy. We fought harder. There were a couple of threes where the ball bounced kinda funky and we ended up getting it. We fought and got those extra possessions this time, and early in the game we got into transition. I got a couple of threes early and nothing was rushed, basically.”

Boston tried to get Allen more looks in the second half, but the Lakers made the adjustment and held him to only three 3-point attempts in the last two quarters.

“They did a better job of guarding him,” Rivers said. “The start of the third quarter they were scoring. By them scoring that meant we were not running anymore, and we couldn’t get [Allen] in transition. We wanted to establish Ray and Paul coming out of halftime, and we got into the same pace the first six minutes of that third quarter that we were in Game 1. We were walking the ball up the floor and we lost our tempo.”

Boston’s starting backcourt certainly made up for the lack of productivity from their their frontcourt, particularly Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Pierce suffered through a rough shooting night, going 2-for-11 and finishing with just 10 points. He did get to the foul line six times but most of them came in the first half. Garnett vowed to bounce back from a bad Game 1, but it got even worse for him in Game 2: six points, four rebounds and five fouls in 23 minutes.

“It was a team effort. A lot of guys stepped up,” said Pierce. “Obviously Ray had the shooting going for us all night long, so we had to play through him. Rondo had it going. If we had two guys who had it going then other guys can fill in and play their roles, and we feel like we give ourselves a chance.”

Thanks to Ray Allen, Boston now has a chance in this series.

Throughout the 2010 NBA playoffs, Rivers made it a point after almost every Celtics practice to remind Robinson to stay focused, be ready and told him to “stay engaged.” “At some point, you’re going to win a game for us,” Rivers said to the little-used point guard. “I can’t tell you when you’re gonna play, I can’t tell you if you’re gonna play.”

The Celtics coach proved to be prophetic as Robinson got his opportunity in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals and delivered a superlative game off the bench that catapulted the Celtics to a series-clinching 96-84 victory and a trip to the NBA Finals.

Robinson – the 5-foot-9 three-time slam dunk champion who was acquired by the Celtics from the New York Knicks during the trade deadline – led a Boston second unit in the second quarter that pushed the Boston lead from 11 to 21 points. He scored 13 points in nine minutes and made two huge 3-point shots that not only got the crowd excited but inspired his teammates.

Nate Robinson provides a big lift for the Celtics in the second quarter of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference finals. He scored 13 points, including two crushing 3-point shots. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

“They actually made their big run with Rondo sitting on the bench,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “That’s not a knock on Rajon Rondo. I’m not sitting up here saying they’re a better team without Rajon Rondo. But tonight they were.

“Nate Robinson was great. He’s a real talented guy,” Van Gundy added. “He scored a lot of points in New York, and what he did tonight was probably what they had in mind when they made the deal. I guess, for whatever reason, he hadn’t played much for them. But in an absolutely huge game he stepped up and played great.”

Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 31 points and had 13 rebounds, credited Robinson for sticking to the script and staying sharp despite the limited action.

“He kinda fell off the rotation, but my hats off to him because usually young players mentally fall out of it when they don’t play, just go through the motions in practice and really not into it because they’re worried about their time. That’s normal for a young player,” Pierce said of Robinson, who turns 26 this month. He had averaged just five minutes of court time in this year’s playoffs.

“But he kept his poise. He went to practice and got his work in, shot the ball, and did what he had to do to stay ready. Tonight his number was called and that just shows his true professionalism,” Pierce continued. “The game could have went either way at that point. We were only up by six or eight [points] and Rondo gets hurt, and he comes in and was a huge sparkplug, and really pushed the game for us.”

Rivers noted that he had already decided to give Robinson more playing time for Game 6 after he played well during the Game 5 loss in Orlando, and it became absolutely necessary when Rondo hurt his hip during the first quarter. “Even though we had played awful, [Robinson] came in and had bought into our defensive system and he was able to run a couple of sets in our system,” Rivers said.

Robinson carried over his solid Game 5 performance with an ever better one in Game 6. He was aggressive on offense and, more importantly, applied heavy pressure on Magic point guard Jameer Nelson, who struggled to a 5-for-14 evening and had just 11 points.

Orlando fought valiantly in this series and Rivers credited Van Gundy for keeping his team together even when most people had already counted them out when they fell behind 0-3.

“We got away from our game when we got behind. Unfortunately, it happens to every team. When we missed shots early, we didn’t stick with our game,” said Van Gundy, who pointed out that the first quarter was the key to the whole series.

“There’s this thing that people try to perpetuate that the NBA is fourth-quarter league, and you don’t even need to watch the first three quarters. That’s for people who don’t study at all and don’t follow NBA basketball. Go back through the years, two thirds or three quarters of the games are won by the team that wins the first quarter. It’s a first-quarter league. You gotta be ready at the start.”

The Magic fell behind 30-19 in the first quarter and played uphill the rest of the game.

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins is a hard-nosed defender who has earned a reputation for being tough on referees. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers says Kendrick Perkins is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. So, why does this mild-mannered guy off the court keep getting whistled for technical fouls?

“I’m not gonna answer that. I’ll let you guys [the reporters] answer that,” Rivers said after Game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference finals, a game in which the Celtics’ starting center was ejected in the first half after receiving two technical fouls, which at the time gave him a league-high seven for the playoffs – an automatic one-game suspension.

After reviewing the incident, the NBA league office released a statement on Thursday and decided to rescinded the second technical foul on Perkins, clearing him to play in Game 6. However, Perkins is not out of the woods yet because one more technical and he’s off to the penalty box.

“Perk plays hard, he looks mean,” Rivers added. “He’s a great guy. I’ll leave it at that.”

Perkins was called for technical early in the first half after he bumped Magic backup center Marcin Gortat with his elbow while trying to help up teammate Paul Pierce. Then, with under a minute left in the second quarter, Perkins was called for a second technical after he argued a foul call. Even though Perkins walked away from referee Eddie Rush, Rush still served him the technical and Perkins had to leave the game.

“Didn’t think he deserved either one, but he got them. It happens,” Rivers argued. “It’s amazing we talk about this before the game, the double technical thing. Perk was bending down picking the ball up and got a tech for being around. I don’t know how he got that tech. The other tech, you know, when you argue it was awful quick but they called it. I did think that Eddie Rush realized once he called it he couldn’t rescind the tech because he had forgotten he had given him the other one. I don’t think Perk wouldn’t have gotten that one. But that happens.”

For the past three seasons, the Celtics have developed a reputation for being very tough on referees, seemingly challenging every call, and the bad perception grew even stronger this season with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, who holds the NBA record for most technicals in one season (41).

In this year’s playoffs alone, Boston has been whistled for 20 technical fouls and Perkins is the clubhouse leader with six.

“But we put ourselves in that position,” Rivers said. “Like I told our guys, you can’t make any excuses. If they don’t stand, then somebody else has to step forward and that’s just the way it is.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had nothing to say about Perkins’ technicals, but he did manage to bring up the two questionable flagrant foul calls on two of his players.

“I don’t call technical fouls. I don’t have any thoughts. I didn’t think Dwight deserved the flagrant foul from the last game and I didn’t think Matt Barnes deserved the flagrant four that they gave to him on Kevin Garnett.”