Boston Celtics Fans Will Not Like What NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal Said

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal spoke about the Boston Celtics.
February 1, 2011; Sacramento, CA, USA; Boston Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal (36) walks back to the bench during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena. The Celtics defeated the Kings 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
February 1, 2011; Sacramento, CA, USA; Boston Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal (36) walks back to the bench during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena. The Celtics defeated the Kings 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Every time an NBA team wins a title, there are always discussions about how easy (or hard) their path was in the playoffs.

Many people have pointed out how they think the Boston Celtics had an extremely easy run to the 2024 NBA Championship.

Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal recently spoke about their title run (via The OGs Show, h/t NBACentral).

O'Neal: "We all know Boston had the easiest run ever to that championship. Can they back it up? That's all. Can you back it up? Okay, you had the easy run, don't matter; you won it. Can you back it up?"

The Celtics were the first seed in the Eastern Conference and had the best record in the NBA (64-18).

They beat the Miami Heat (five games), Cleveland Cavaliers (five games) and Indiana Pacers (four games) in the first three rounds of the playoffs to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.

All three teams dealt with injuries to their best players (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton).

The Celtics then defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

While it's fair to point out they had weak competition, the Celtics also showed dominance by going 16-3 in the playoffs.

Shaquille O'Neal
Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

As for O'Neal, he is among the 20 best players in NBA history.

The four-time NBA Champion played 19 seasons for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.


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Ben Stinar
BEN STINAR

Ben Stinar is the NBA reporter for Fastbreak on FanNation.