Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Baghdad embraces Valentine's Day

Shaq starts Game 1 for Heat

Bruised right thigh still hampers Heat center's mobility

O'NealAP
Shaquille O'Neal, left, was injured in a collision shortly before halftime of Sunday’s 84-80 win over Indiana.

MIAMI - Miami center Shaquille O’Neal was in the starting lineup for Sunday’s opening game of the Eastern Conference playoff series against the New Jersey Nets.

O’Neal missed the Heat’s last two regular-season games with a deep right thigh bruise, but he received treatment Sunday and participated in the team’s morning shootaround.

“We walked through. He walked very well,” coach Stan Van Gundy said.

O’Neal averaged 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds this season, his first with Miami.

O’Neal’s health has been a big source of concern for the Heat of late. He missed 5½ of the team’s final eight games, first because of a stomach virus that caused him to shed 15 pounds, then the thigh injury.

Including a game in Chicago where he played only two minutes after spraining his knee, O’Neal missed 10 games this season. Without him, the team went 6-4, four of those wins coming against non-playoff teams.

“I’ll play him as much as he can play,” Van Gundy said. “At your biggest time of the year, you want all your best players available.”

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement
More news
Image: Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo drives past Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer in the second half of their NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston
Reuters
Rondo makes the Celtics go

PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.

Rondo's triple-double carries Celtics over Bulls

Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.

  ProBasketballTalk tweets

  1. Loading the latest posts…

Source: Twitter. For more, follow @basketballtalk.

Video: NBA from NBC Sports
Knicks, Lin still streaking
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and point guard Jeremy Lin discuss the team and Lin's recent success.

Slideshow
Washington Wizards v Charlotte Bobcats
  Get your cheer on
Check out some of the dancers from the NBA.

more photos

  Ask the NBA expert: Ira Winderman

Do you have a burning NBA question? Submit it now, and then check back for our reader mailbag.

Special feature
Image: LeBron James
Who will be MVP?
Interactive: Rank each player on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best player, 0 = barely worthy of consideration).

NBCSports.com

Slideshow
Image: Blake Griffin
  NBA All-Star starters
A look at the starting lineups for the East and West teams.

more photos