Heat's Shaq injures Calf, misses Celtics
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-22 10:08

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal was held out of Tuesday night's game against the Boston Celtics because of a bruised left calf.

O'Neal was injured in Sunday's win over Orlando, team spokesman Tim Donovan said. Michael Doleac started in O'Neal's place.

Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal was injured in Sunday's win over Orlando. [AFP/file]

Heat coach Stan Van Gundy did not discuss O'Neal's injury during his pregame media availability. The decision to sit O'Neal was not announced until about 75 minutes before tip-off, when reporters saw Doleac's name listed as the starter in the Heat locker room.

O'Neal is averaging 20.9 points and 11 rebounds this season for the Heat, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference. It wasn't immediately known how long O'Neal would be out, or if he would return for the much-hyped Christmas Day matchup against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

O'Neal was not made available to reporters before the game, the first he missed this season. He might have been asked about an interview aired on ABC's "Monday Night Football," when O'Neal — keeping with his policy of not identifying Bryant specifically by name — compared his former teammate to a Corvette and himself to a brick wall, and said "you know what's going to happen" when the two collide.

Already, the hubbub surrounding the game is wearing on Miami's collective nerves.

"They had this on Monday Night Football," Heat guard Eddie Jones said. "Can you believe that?"

O'Neal missed 15 games in each of the previous three seasons with an array of leg and foot injuries, and was sidelined for a significant portion of this year's training camp with a hamstring strain. A bruised right calf forced him to miss 12 games last season.

He entered Tuesday leading the NBA in field-goal percentage (.606), ranking fifth in rebounds and 20th in scoring.

O'Neal donned a black suit and joined his teammates on court for opening introductions, then took a seat on the bench.

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