The Celtics were 19-3 when Shaquille O'Neal played 20-minutes this season.

Coach Doc Rivers pointed the stat out, a sign that perhaps the Celtics really will try to convince Shaq to play one more year. The question, obviously, is Shaq's rapidly deteriorating health. A calf strain that was thought to be minor ended up costing the 39-year-old months. Shaq has a $1.4 million player option for next season.

Shaquille O'Neal has a player option at the veteran minimum for next season.

If Shaq tries to play one more year, it won't be about the $1.4 million he would earn. It would be about a man with a massive ego not trying to go out hobbling and watching games in a suit. We highly doubt Shaq has anything left, but we'll see if he's too proud to hang it up.

Shaquille O'Neal's calf/achilles injury has not improved and he will not play in Wednesday's Game 5.

That means he's likely done for this season and there are no guarantees he plays anywhere next year. In other words, his career could be over.

Shaquille O'Neal's calf/Achilles injury has gotten worse and he is now doubtful for Wednesday's Game 5 against the Heat.

This latest setback with Shaq is the nail in the coffin. Even if the Celtics somehow recover from a 3-1 hole and beat the Heat, we doubt he'll be able to play again this season. And considering how ineffective/banged up Shaq has been all year, it's possible he's done. At age 39, he has nothing left to give other than a big body.

Shaquille O'Neal played just 3.5 minutes in Monday's Game 4 loss to the Heat, with no statistics other than two personal fouls to show for his effort.

Though the Celtics will be in must-win mode heading back to an elimination game in Miami, betting on Shaq to play more than five minutes in a game right now is not advisable.

Coach Doc Rivers said he expects Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) to play in Saturday's Game 3 against the Heat.

It's now or never for Shaq as the Celtics are down two games to none. Although he's likely in poor physical condition, Rivers said only a setback will keep Shaq from playing Saturday. Considering the Diesel has played in one game since Feb. 1, we're not expecting much. Anything more than 15-20 minutes would be a shock.

Coach Doc Rivers said that a return for Shaquille O'Neal in Game 3 is "becoming likely."

We'll believe it when we see it. Shaq may force his way onto the court with the Celtics staring at a 0-2 hole in the series, but we highly doubt he'll be effective. The Celtics can't be counting on Shaq to turn this series around.

Coach Doc Rivers said that Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) is doubtful for Tuesday's Game 2 against the Heat.

Rivers said that Shaq "looked terrific" in Monday's practice, but they are still expecting to hold him out. While Game 3 looks like a real possibility, we've been down this road before with Shaq. The Celtics should not be counting on a major contribution out of him in this series.

Coach Doc Rivers said there's a chance Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) could play in Tuesday's Game 2 against the Heat.

Shaq has missed 33 of the last 34 games and the Celtics always think he's on the verge of playing. Rivers said that if Shaq doesn't play tonight, he thinks Game 3 is realistic. Regardless, the Diesel is almost certainly way out of game shape. We wouldn't expect a big impact on this series, even if he does suit up.

Doc Rivers said that Shaquille O'Neal will be out for game 1 vs. Miami on Sunday, and is targeting a return in either game 2 or game 3.

The team will make sure that he's fully healthy before they push him onto the court, but at this point, it's hard to know if he'll ever be 100 percent again. We'd like to believe he'll be back sooner rather than later, but it appears to be a guessing game with Shaq.

The Celtics have not yet announced whether Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) will return to action vs. the Heat on Sunday.

Shaq hasn't played since Feb. 1 (excluding his return for six minutes in April) and when he returns he'll probably be limited to 15-20 minutes per game.

Shaquille O'Neal practiced on both Thursday and Friday but there is still no definitive timetable for his return.

"Maybe (game) one, maybe two but I do think he'll play," said coach Doc Rivers. "I guess he's done some stuff with (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte). Eddie's more confident that he'll play." This is a positive update, but as usual Celtics' fans are left in a holding pattern as we await Shaq's postseason debut.

Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles, calf) isn't expected to practice on Friday, but coach Doc Rivers is hopeful that he'll return during the second round of the playoffs.

As usual, the Celtics are expressing a sort of vague optimism. "No decision made or anything," said Rivers. "I'm more confident now that he'll play in this series. I don't know when." Even when he does return, it's doubtful that Shaq will log more than 20 minutes per game.

Coach Doc Rivers said that Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) will do skeleton work on Thursday and practice on Friday.

The Celtics always seem overly optimistic about Shaq's status, so we'll take this with a grain of salt. But if he can make it through workouts on Friday and Saturday, he could be ready for Sunday's Game 1 against the Heat. However, asking him to play anything more than 20-25 minutes is a recipe for trouble.

Doc Rivers said on Wednesday that Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) won't practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

No updated word on his timetable, but it certainly doesn't sound like Shaq's return is imminent. Until he appears on the practice court, we'll remain skeptical about his availability for the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics have announced that Shaquille O'Neal (calf, Achilles) will not play in Game 4 on Sunday.

No surprise here, as Shaq still can't run on his bad leg and the Celtics didn't even practice on Saturday. The Celtics have had precious little time to incorporate him into the gameplan and it seems like he's still 'out indefinitely' rather than 'day-to-day'.

Celtics writer A. Sherrod Blakely would be "shocked" if Shaquille O'Neal returned during the first round vs. New York.

Shaq is dealing with injuries to his entire right Achilles/calf region. He played in 36 games all season and hasn't seen regular action since mid-January. Blakeley even said that Shaq sitting out the entire semifinals "is definitely a possibility," but Doc Rivers has hinted that Shaq could play as soon as Sunday.

Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles) is traveling with the Celtics to New York for Friday's Game 3.

Coach Doc Rivers said yesterday that if he travels, he's expected to play either Friday or Sunday. While we wouldn't expect Shaq to be anywhere near 100 percent, making it through a game without aggravation would be a huge step forward. The Celtics will need him badly if they end up playing the Magic or Lakers.

Updating an earlier item, Shaquille O'Neal could be back as soon as Game 4, according to Doc Rivers.

So much for that earlier report that Shaq was likely to miss the rest of the playoffs. The key issue will be whether or not he's able to travel with the team on Thursday. "If he goes on the trip, that means we think he'll play that Sunday," Rivers explained. The 39-year-old has played in just one game since Feb. 1.

Doc Rivers denied a report that it would require a "miraculous recovery" for Shaquille O'Neal to return for the playoffs.

"I know that's not true," Rivers said. "He's going to play. I just don't know when." It's hard to see Shaq coming back for the first round with the Celtics up 2-0 on the Knicks, and at the moment his timetable remains unclear.