"For the Boston Celtics, this NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series has become as much about body parts as the 0-2 deficit they find themselves dealing with entering Saturday night's Game 3 at TD Garden.

Shaquille O'Neal's calf? Apparently good enough to get the former Heat center into a game for only the second time since Feb. 1.

The balky Achilles that limited Paul Pierce in Tuesday's 102-91 Game 2 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena? The veteran small forward insists it will not be an issue.

Kevin Garnett's back? Actually, the back issues belong to point guard Rajon Rondo, but the question Friday at the Celtics' practice facility in Waltham, Mass., was whether Garnett is up to the 20 shots the All-Star power forward attempted Tuesday, making eight.

The weightiest issue, fittingly, is O'Neal, who was integrated back into rotation during Friday's workout.

"I am very confident he'll play," coach Doc Rivers said. "There's no way you get him at 100 percent, that would be a miracle. But we can get him to a point where he can help us, and he may be at that point."

Considering O'Neal has practiced only twice over the past month, which includes Friday's session as well as a Monday workout at the University of Miami, Rivers said he would try to work him in with the second unit.

"I know what Shaq brings, guaranteed, is size," Rivers said. "Other than that, we don't know what he can give us on the floor. There are no saviors. We have to save ourselves as a group.""