<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said on Tuesday that his thigh still has swelling, and he won't know his playoff status until the game draws nearer. "I really can't bend it," O'Neal told The Miami Herald of his right leg. "It's pretty swollen. I've been doing double, triple treatments. Right now, I just have to see how it goes. If I can bend it, if I can run and jump, then I'll be ready to go." O'Neal isn't worried about needing a large amount of preparation for Sunday's playoff opener, saying he just needs a little work on Saturday to get ready. "The playoff season is a different season," O'Neal told the paper. "You have to be mentally and physically ready. I just want to be 95 percent physically ready to go.</div> Source
I really don't think the Heat will need him for game 1, but if they are playing the Nets, they will need him.
guess what? they are. i hope the nets steal this series, although the odds are unlikely. People seem to underestimate the nets, and seeing every single nets game the last month or so and quite a few of the heat games, i think the nets have a formidable chance if they continue to play this way and shaqs injury keeps him from being as aggressive as he usually is.
