Pierce: Bosh is the X-factor

Via Chris Forsberg's practice notes:

* Bosh = Miami X-factor?: Pierce also suggested that Chris Bosh remains the potential key player for Miami. "Well I think they've done a better job of really implementing Bosh [since the start of the season]," said Pierce. "I thought at the beginning of the year, he was sort of the odd man out. But, to me, he's sort of like the key for them, because you know LeBron and [Dwyane] Wade are going to get theirs every night. Usually when [Bosh] plays well, they're a tough team to beat."

Nice job, Paul. Way to plant the seed in Bosh's head that he's the X-factor. Now he'll try to do too much.

As for Shaq's status:

Rivers offered a bit of a surprise when he noted that ailing center Shaquille O'Neal would participate in skeleton (non-contact) drills during Thursday's session (this a day after saying O'Neal wouldn't engage in any activity until Friday). As Rivers has pointed out in the past, he could do skeleton work, so it's not much to get excited about. Friday remains the more important day as the Celtics hope O'Neal will engage in more basketball activities that day and offer a better indication of his status for the early portion of this series. "He's going to do a little bit today, actually," said Rivers. "Not much, he's just going to do skeleton work today and then practice tomorrow, hopefully. That's the latest."

I know the Celtics can beat Miami without Shaq, but I think he'll be a load for any of their big men to handle. And I want him to be there when D-Wade and LeBron come driving into the lane.