INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Shaquille O’Neal spent his final day of free time where any super hero would hang out.
He went to Disney World.
Now Superman is preparing for his Cleveland Cavaliers debut against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in one of the league’s most heated rivalries. The two teams that open the season in the East could also be the final two teams remaining in the conference finals — though defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando may differ with that prediction.
“You can’t win the championship winning the first game. You still have to play all 82 and go through the postseason,” O’Neal said. “But you always want to try and get off to a great start.”
With a day off on Sunday, O’Neal took his family to Disney for one final day of fun. From now until the playoffs, his quest is to win the Cavaliers’ first championship in franchise history.
Cleveland traded for O’Neal for games like this against Kevin Garnett and the Celtics, who eliminated the Cavs in the playoffs two years ago on their way to their first NBA championship in 12 seasons.
That heated series launched a feud that boiled all last season. It bubbled up in last week’s preseason game in Columbus, when the Cavs’ Mo Williams was spun to the ground near the end of the first half. He got up and threw an elbow into the chest of Boston’s Shelden Williams, who shoved back before order was quickly restored.
LeBron James said a rivalry needs a little trash talking and two good teams to beat up on each other. The Cavaliers and Celtics meet that standard.
“I think we have that history with Boston,” James said Monday. “We had a great postseason with them and we’ve had some great regular-season games with them. So I guess this is our new rival.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
