Glen Davis, the Boston forward says that he never intended to hurt center Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal in a game earlier this season. O’Neal suffered from a broken thumb in the game on 25th February, 2010 and television replays clearly shows Davis holding the thumb of Shaq.
Davis commented upon the matter on Sunday, 14th March, 2010 that he was just trying to battle for position and was completely unaware that Shaq was hurt until he left the floor after calling a time out. “I never in my mind thought his thumb was hurting,” said Davis after Boston lost to the Cavaliers 104-93. Later on Sunday, he also knocked off Antawn Jamison in the second quarter while hip-checking Anderson Varejao into the first row in the third quarter. Davis was nothing more than a one-man wrecking crew for the Celtics.
However, the forward says that he does not have intentional feelings against Varejao, Jamison or Shaq, even when he was booed off by fans throughout the game. “My job is to play hard,” said Davis, defending himself. “I’m an energy guy – get loose balls, go out there and try to be a factor. I’m a big guy. When I foul, I have to foul to make sure guys don’t make a layup or get an ‘and-one.’ I just try to play the game like it’s supposed to be played. I’m not trying to hurt nobody.”
He also said that being former LSU products, he was good friends with O’Neal. “I wasn’t really paying attention,” said Davis. “I didn’t know his thumb was hurting. He made no indication that his thumb was hurting. I was just playing basketball, trying to be a defensive agitator, just messing with him. I never thought in my mind that his thumb was hurting. I didn’t find out his thumb was hurting until he called a timeout and he was like, ‘My thumb is broken.’” Since the incident, Davis has exchanged text messages with O’Neal insisting that there are no hard feelings.