Tune-up ends tonight

The great Shaquille O'Neal has been cleared to play in tonight's regular-season finale against the Hawks. Whether he'll actually play or not is an open question, as Mike Brown has been resting his starters ever since the Cavaliers clinched home-court throughout the postseason, including the great LeBron James the last three games. But the fact that he has been cleared means the Cavs will be at full strength when the playoffs start this weekend. The only question is whether they'll open against the Chicago Bulls or the Toronto Raptors.

The Cavaliers are 16-6 since Shaq injured his thumb on February 25 against the Celtics, and that includes losses in their last three, with LeBron out. And it bears mention that they didn't lose any of those three by very much (by one against the Bulls, by three against the Pacers, and by six against the Eastern Conference's second-best team, the Magic).

This team is ready for the playoffs, ladies and gentlemen. I can hardly wait.