2011 NBA Playoffs: A Healthy Shaquille O'Neal Could Have Solidified C's Defense

The memory of Kendrick Perkins crumpling to the floor after grabbing a rebound with 5:30 remaining in the first quarter of Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals remains all too clearly in the heads of Celtics fans. Perkins tore his MCL and PCL that night, and the Celtics went on to lose Game 7 and the championship 83-79.

Many argue that the Celtics would have won had Perkins played in Game 7. If he did play, then maybe the C’s would not have been out-rebounded by Pau Gasol and the Lakers, 53 to 40.

Perkins returned from his injury on January 25, 2011 and had been playing well for Boston averaging 7.5 ppg/8.2 rpg/.9 apg/.8 bpg prior to him injuring his other knee. To the surprise of most basketball fans out there, Big Perk was traded to Oklahoma City on February 24th, the day of the NBA trade deadline in a deal that saw Perkins and Nate Robinson sent to the Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

Now that Perkins is gone, Celtics fans find themselves pondering how long the aging Celtics "Big Three" and Shaq will remain healthy. So far, the Celtics' "Big Three" have defied the injury bug and the Celtics have piled up the victories but how long can this continue to be the case? The rest of the team has been plagued by that very bug that the Allen, Pierce and Garnett have avoided for the most part all year.

In other dealings, the Boston Celtics also traded Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2013 second round pick, and sent Marquis Daniels to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for the Kings 2017 second-round pick.

Must Read: Biggest Trade Deadline Deal in Each Team's History

The recent Celtics trades had opened up three roster spots on their team. One of those spots was filled by Troy Murphy, formerly of the Golden State Warriors. Murphy told ESPN.com via e-mail that he would join the Celtics. It wasn't an easy decision for him as he was wrestling with joining the C's or the Miami Heat. 

Boston was interested in signing Corey Brewer (bought out by the Knicks) but he decided to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Instead, Sasha Pavlovic was signed to take one of the final two roster spots the Celtics have had available. Furthermore, Chris Johnson, a center who had been signed to a ten day contract by the Celtics was not re-signed by Boston. Instead, the C's decided to sign veteran Carlos Arroyo for the remainder of the season to fill their roster and push for another NBA title.

Now that Perkins is gone, Celtics fans find themselves pondering how long the aging Celtics "Big Three" and Shaq will remain healthy. So far, the Celtics' "Big Three" have defied the injury bug and the Celtics have piled up the victories but how long can this continue to be the case? The rest of the team has been plagued by that very bug that the Allen, Pierce and Garnett have avoided for the most part all year.

Rajon Rondo went down earlier this year with a sprained left ankle. In Game 3 of the Celtics' Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup versus the Miami Heat, Rondo dislocated his elbow. He expects to play through the injury but will most definitely be limited by it.

Delonte West has recently returned from a broken wrist injury only to go down for a few more games with a sprained ankle. He and Jermaine O'Neal returned for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs but remain banged up to this day.

Shaquille O'Neal is currently recovering from a sore right Achilles’ tendon. He made his return for game three of the Celitics/Heat playoff series in Boston. However, the "Big Shamrock" was clearly hobbling up and down the court indicating that the injury is still bothering him and that he is not operating at 100 percent.

For most of the year the Boston Celtics possessed the best record in the Eastern Conference. For fans of many NBA teams, this would be a great indicator that their team is ready to make a run at the 2011 NBA Championship. However, Boston Celtics fans remain skeptical. 

At the end of the regular season, the Chicago Bulls took over first place in the East and Miami moved into second place leaving Boston as the three seed heading into the playoffs. Down two games to one in their playoff series versus the Miami Heat, the Celtics now look to Shaq's return to rally the troops and to provide toughness to a tired Celtics backcourt.

The Celtics' big man provides strong rebounding, great shot blocking ability and a monstrous down low presence that opens up the floor for his fellow teammates. He is exactly what the Celtics have been missing and just what the Doctor ordered.

Stay tuned for more on this and other Celtics news as the Beasts of the East continue their battle for Eastern Conference supremacy.