By Jessica Camerato
CSNNE.com
BOSTON -- With a larger-than-life personality, Shaquille O'Neal has plenty to say about the latest issues both on and off the court. Here is a recap of the Shaqisms from Sunday's victory against the Raptors.
Monitoring Minutes: The Celtics need O'Neal for the long haul, so they're keeping a close eye on him during the preseason. O'Neal sat out of Saturday's practice, bothered by his hips, and Doc Rivers plans to keep him out of one of the remaining preseason games. O'Neal explained he isn't focused on his playing time and will do whatever it takes to help the Celtics.
"My hip is good. I've got a little arthritis. A lot of pounding, but we've got a great staff here and I'm getting a lot of rest . . . I'll be fine," he said, adding, "I'm here as a team player, so if Doc needs me to play big minutes, little minutes, I'm here and I won't complain. I'm just here to try to help the Celtics get number 18 and help myself get number five."
The Statue Plan: O'Neal created a frenzy when he announced last week that he plans to pose as a statue in Harvard Square. He explained the guidelines for the plan, which he based off an actual statue of a man sitting in a chair in the historic area.
"Last time when I showed up, people wanted to take pictures, they wanted to have conversations," he said. "I'm going to show up when we get off the road and I'm just going to sit there. The rules are, you come, take one picture, and then you've got to move on to the next person. Do not have a conversation with me. I don't really want to hear stories this time. We'll do that some other time. But I'm just going to sit for an hour and I'm just going to try to sit in one position for an hour. It'll be somewhere in Harvard Square, one of those benches over there."
Shaq in Shock Over Moss: O'Neal had been looking forward to seeing Randy Moss play when he came to Boston, and he was stunned to learn the wide receiver had been traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings.
Boston Celtics
"I was shocked. I really was shocked," O'Neal said. "But he's a great player and he's the type that once you touch him up a little bit, he's going to respond. So I'll look for him to really, really start playing. I want to go with Minnesota as a team to be reckoned with now. The Patriots are still going to be pretty good, but I think Minnesota now that you've got a pissed-off Randy Moss, it's going to be trouble. A pissed-off Randy Moss and a pissed-off Brett Favre. Look out."
Jessica Camerato is on Twitter at http:twitter.comjcamerato.