Tough night in Witness land. If Shaquille O’Neal is supposed to get the Cleveland Cavaliers over the top and keep LeBron James here, let’s just say the local townspeople have a lot to look forward to.

The faithful in the “Witness” T-shirts — an allusion to James’s tattoo — didn’t see it Tuesday night, even if the season started and the NBA served up the Boston Celtics, as if on a platter. Neither team had won on the other’s floor in the last two seasons when they became arch-rivals, but that ended with Boston’s 95-89 victory in Quicken Loans Arena.

The LeBron-Shaq tandem combined for 48 points, but James had 38 of them. O’Neal scored six points in the first seven minutes, making all three of his shots ... and four points the rest of the way, making two of his last eight shots. No, witnesses, this isn’t quite the Shaq you heard about all those years.

Boston GM Danny Ainge, who once compared a younger O’Neal and a way younger Kobe Bryant to Wilt Chamberlain playing with Michael Jordan, was asked about the new tandem, “I’m just glad Shaquille is 37,” said Ainge, laughing.

If O’Neal is hardly what he was as a Los Angeles Lakers from age 24-32, there are no others like him. Whatever you were doing, after Shaq arrives you’re no longer doing it the same way. Tuesday night started, as advertised or ballyhooed, with O’Neal making his first three shots, as the Cavaliers shot off to a 17-4 lead. They were up, 21-12, at the 4:54 mark when Coach Mike Brown sent in their former starting centre, Zydraunas Ilgauskas, for O’Neal — pulling the plug on the evening.

... contd.