No coaching? No broadcasting?

No.

``Nothing,'' he repeated to the reporters who had gathered at his locker early last night, before the Phoenix Suns' only regular-season game at TD Banknorth Garden.

But for a man who sounds like he can't wait for those lazy, hazy days of retirement, Shaq apparently kept his mind focused on Basketball this past spring as the Celtics were rolling through the postseason en route to the NBA championship.

``They had a great season last year,'' he said. ``They did it the right way. They did it the respectable way, so my hat goes off to the three Boston amigos.''

Asked to expand on what the ``respectable way'' means, he said, ``It means three superstars meshing and jelling. No drama, no arguments. Guys sacrificing for each other. It was a perfect season for those three guys.

``If you look at the makeup of those guys, they've always been very unselfish. They were just on teams where they were the go-to guys and they had to take all the shots. And those guys are very nice guys. They stay out of trouble off the court. You can tell by the makeup that they're nice gentlemen and they're very unselfish.

``Watching that series from a fan's standpoint reminded me of the old Boston days, where you'd see three or four Hall of Famers playing together.''

Shaq's State of the Celtics address included a specific comment about Paul Pierce, who was given his nickname ``The Truth'' from O'Neal.

``He's playing well,'' he said. ``He's a floor leader and a go-to guy. He gave up shots at a certain time and he took shots at a certain time.''

Comparing this year's Celtics with the team that won the NBA championship, he said, ``They're the same, but they miss (James) Posey. I know how important Posey is, and was. But they have a lot of other guys stepping up. (Leon) Powe is there. (Eddie) House is there. (Brian) Scalabrini is there.''

And referring to fellow Louisiana State product Glen Davis, O'Neal said, ``And my son, Big Baby is there. It's good.

``They're the champs, and they're playing like it,'' he said. ``They had a stand there where they lost a few . . . but that's just how the chips fall now and then.''

- sbuckley@bostonherald.com