O'Neal back on practice floor, unsure if he'll play Sunday against Nets
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
April 23, 2005

Photo
AP - Apr 22, 5:55 pm EDT
More Photos
MIAMI (AP) -- Saying his bruised right thigh still hampers his mobility, Miami center Shaquille O'Neal returned to practice Saturday -- yet was coyly noncommittal about whether he'll be playing when the Heat open their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the New Jersey Nets.

O'Neal was injured a week ago and hadn't been on the court since. Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said he expects O'Neal, who missed the last two regular-season games, to play in Sunday's Game 1 against the Nets.

The 12-time All-Star sounded less certain.

``You've got to start off in the right way,'' O'Neal said. ``I've never missed a playoff game, I don't think. This is the first time where I'm going in iffy-iffy.''

O'Neal still is undergoing multiple treatments daily to alleviate pain and swelling in the leg. If O'Neal cannot play, then former Nets center Alonzo Mourning -- who asked out of New Jersey since he did not consider the team to be a championship contender -- is Miami's probable starter.

``Feeling pretty good. Went hard today,'' said O'Neal, who averaged 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds in his first season with the Heat. ``The true test is going to be how I feel when I wake up in the morning. ... I'll most likely be out there tomorrow unless I come in and I can't walk. Hopefully that's not the case.''

O'Neal's health has been a big source of concern for the Heat of late. He missed 5 1/2 of the team's final eight games, first because of a stomach virus that caused him to shed 15 pounds, then the thigh injury.

Including a game in Chicago where he played only two minutes after spraining his knee, O'Neal missed 10 games this season. Without him, the team went 6-4, four of those wins coming against non-playoff teams.

``I'll play him as much as he can play,'' Van Gundy said. ``At your biggest time of the year, you want all your best players available.''