Exhibition Play Resumes At The Garden

1-0 @ 0-1
Friday, October 9, 2009
7:30 pm ET
TD Garden (Boston, MA)

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Despite the [meaningless] 96-90 loss to the Rockets in Wednesday night's preseason opener, the Celtics left Hidalgo with a lot of positives for the fans to be proud about. We saw the newcomers make strong first impressions, as Marquis Daniels put his versatility on display while Rasheed Wallace let us know that he still has a lot left in the tank when motivated. Shelden Williams appeared to be in terrific physical condition and was one of the most active players on the floor. Even rookie guard Lester Hudson showed multiple flashes of brilliance with his all-out hustle, admirable athletic ability and defensive intensity. And yes, of all people, Michael Sweetney ended up posting a team-high 10 points, as his... how should I put this nicely... "wide frame" created enough space for him to show off his soft touch around the rim in the fourth quarter.

In addition to that, we saw some promising things from our homegrown veterans. Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins stood out for the simple fact that their recent weight losses have noticeably improved their appearance and mobiliy. Perk, however, learned that he wasn't quite quick or deceptive enough to shake n' bake with the ball in transition. Regardless, he put together a clean spin move in the post and reminded us of the killer lazer hook and quality defensive rotations.

Most importantly, we saw Kevin Garnett on the floor for the first time since March 25. He wasn't all hobbly and bobbly like recent overblown training camp video suggests, either. He looked good. Adrenaline may have played a small role, but no matter how you look at it, he got the job done on Wednesday night. He made some absolutely outstanding reads on the defensive end, two of which were picked off by KG himself, knocked down his mid-range jumpers, grabbed five rebounds in 13 minutes, made a terrific pass to a cutting Ray Allen, and provided the typical anecdotes that make him the one and only Kevin Garnett. He pounded his chest while cussing at the crowd prior to tipoff, he got excited from the bench, he coached his teammates at ample opportunities, and he even skied up to deny the opposition of knocking down post-whistle shots.

Give The Big Ticket some time to get himself in tip-top game shape, but make no mistake about it, KG is back and so are our beloved Celtics. Exhibition play resumes tonight, as the C's are set to make their 2009-10 TD Garden debut against division rival New York Knicks. Preseason or not, make some noise at "the house" tonight.

Projected Starters
PG SG SF PF C

Preseason Leaders
PPG: Al Harrington (23.0)
RPG: David Lee (9.0)
APG: Nate Robinson (5.0)
SPG: 3 Tied (2.0)
BPG: 7 Tied (1.0)



Projected Starters
PG SG SF PF C

Preseason Leaders
PPG: Michael Sweetney (10.0)
RPG: Kevin Garnett (5.0)
APG: Marquis Daniels (5.0)
SPG: 3 Tied (2.0)
BPG: Rasheed Wallace (3.0)