Shaquille O’Neal had a blunt assessment after the Celtics’ Game 1 win

“On the Boston side, they understand what’s at stake, they know what it takes.”

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Shaquille O’Neal’s take on Celtics-Magic: Former NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal took little time in offering his definitive take on the Celtics-Magic first round playoff series following Boston’s 103-86 Game 1 on Sunday.

O’Neal, who played for both Orlando and Boston during his Hall of Fame career, sees it as a straightforward issue.

“Orlando will be lucky to win one game,” O’Neal said during the “Inside the NBA” broadcast. “Listen, I love the Orlando Magic, love the organization, but they are better full strength. They are not at full strength. Their bench is not really that good. They don’t have a lot of scorers. If Franz [Wagner] and Paulo [Banchero] aren’t doing most of the work, they don’t have a shot.”

“My question is who is going to be a third scorer for them to do something,” he asked.

O’Neal offered provided his assessment of the Celtics.

“On the Boston side, they understand what’s at stake, they know what it takes,” O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion himself. “So first half, [Charles Barkley] said earlier, they were lallygagging around. They turned that supreme focus on, blew this team. So I think it’ll either be a sweep or a gentlemen’s sweep.”

Trivia: Which men’s runner has the most Boston Marathon wins in history?

(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: He was also a bronze medalist at a 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

Scores and schedules:

On Sunday, the Celtics got going in the playoffs with 103-86 Game 1 win over the Magic at TD Garden. Game 2 will also be in Boston, and is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Red Sox lost on Sunday, falling 8-4 to the White Sox. Boston gets underway on Patriots’ Day at 11:10 a.m. in the series finale against Chicago.

And speaking of Patriots’ Day, the 129 Boston Marathon gets underway on Monday with more than 31,000 runners making their way from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

Some Celtics for a Monday morning: Boston got its title defense off to a good start with a Game 1 win over the Magic.

On this day: In 2002, the Patriots traded Drew Bledsoe to the Bills. The deal ended the longtime Patriots’ quarterback’s impactful tenure in New England in unforeseen circumstances. Having only just signed an extension the previous year worth over $100 million, Bledsoe had been displaced by the unexpected rise of Tom Brady, with the latter leading the Patriots to an even more unexpected Super Bowl win.

Daily highlight: Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz covered an incredible amount of space — utilizing every inch of his 6-foot-5 frame — to make a truly highlight-worthy catch.