WALTHAM — Today officially ends "Shaq Week."
And what a week it was.
Shaquille O'Neal signed the Boston Celtics' contract last Wednesday, catching most of New England asleep at the wheel. It just didn't seem like a fit.
Well, after plowing through the commments from The Big Guy here yesterday, it not only seemed to fit, but it was a lot of fun.
There was Shaq, aka "The Big Shamrock," wearing a charcoal gray striped Armani suit and a black bow tie, talking like he'd been with the organization since Bob Cousy and Bill Russell were winning championships.
The pomp and circumstance, which included 100 well-behaved boy and girls adorned in green Celtics jerseys, a visit from minority owner Steve Pagliuca, and about six TV trucks with their 100-foot antennas, seemed more fit for a king than a guy who signed for the veteran minimum (two years totalling $2.76 million).
But as the "Shaq Show" left town yesterday, a few things were made clear by several key players:
This is not a publicity stunt.
"To the contrary," said Shaq. "I'm here to win a championship. I am here to win, and do whatever I have to do to help make that happen."
Obviously, the Celtics are not getting the "almighty" Lakers' Shaq or the "MVP-caliber" Heat's Shaq. But they are getting a player who for 10, 15 or even 20 minutes a game gives the Celtics a presence that they haven't had on their bench since, say, Bill Walton.
"I really knew he was serious when I got a text from Shaq [a few weeks ago] and he wrote, 'We have to talk,'" said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who resides in Orlando, not far from one of Shaq's east coast homes.
"This is not about him," said Rivers. "This is about the Celtics. And he said that from the start. He wanted to be a Celtic and win another championship. That really hit me. That's exactly what I wanted him to say."
Everything else that comes with Shaq is a bonus. All of the charity work, which we hear is astronomical, and his pithy quotes and his marketing expertise are secondary.
"This was like all of our basketball decisions, this was 99.9 percent about making our basketball team better," said Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who attended his first press conference for a guy that signed the "veteran minimum."
"But, sure, Shaq adds excitement and electricity to the franchise. He would add it to every team, because of his personality," said Pagliuca. "He's going to be fun to have around."
Rivers said Shaq, 38, will immediately give the Celtics something they didn't have last year off the bench — instant offense around the basket and rebounding.
In fact, on Monday night Rivers watched Game 7 with his coaching staff. It was a tough game to watch, particularly in the fourth quarter.
"It was the first time any of us had seen even one second," said Rivers. "And it was obvious that keeping the Lakers off the boards was a big problem, especially any of the balls that came back real high. We didn't get any of them.
"If we had Shaq?," said Rivers, smiling. "It might've been different. Honestly, Shaq's rebounding alone makes us better."
According to those in "the know," including Rivers, Shaq's defense is a problem. He is subpar on the pick-and-roll, primarily because of his aging legs.
"It's been a problem the last four or so years," said Rivers. "It's what we ran against him in Cleveland. It's something we are going to have to work on, and I mean work on."
To understand the importance of this day, all you had to do was look up in the private stairway for Celtics employees two stories above the practice court at HealthPoint.
There sat Kevin Garnett, who apparently flew back from a vacation in Hawaii to witness yesterday's event.
"I talked to him a lot," said Shaq. "He's a special guy. I've always admired him. He was pretty persuasive."
I repeat what I said a week ago: This is going to be fun, especially if Shaq can add value to the product on the court.
Apparently, that's why he was here yesterday and why he'll be here one, maybe even two years.
"Two championships .. that would be nice," said Shaq. "I wouldn't bet against it. I would never bet against the Celtics."
E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.
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