After about the 3rd or 4th preseason game I start to zone out a bit and pine for the regular season. That intensifies when Boston takes the court with a team its already played in the preseason. You know, like tonight. So in anticipation of tonight's game I'm throwing out 5 players I'll be watching, as well as what I'm looking for:

Point Guard: Gabe Pruitt - initiate the offense
Shooting Guard: Tony Allen - avoid turnovers and foul trouble
Small Forward: Darius Miles - earn a roster spot (vague I know)
Power Forward: Glen Davis - conditioning
Center: Kendrick Perkins - defend and look/stay healthy

Head over to Fear the Sword to check out the enemy and catch a Cavs' season preview.

On the bright side, if they run out of balls in Pittsburgh, they can use a sock:

Delonte West Sock Quote (via TonyAllen06)

Make sure to check out Liberty Ballers, the new 76ers blog on SB Nation. It's good to grab another Atlantic Division blog. 3 down, 2 to go.

The Atlantic Division ran last week. And now the Southwest Division is up in this ongoing blogger preview initiative. Meanwhile, the Central, Southeast, Northwest, and Pacific divisions will be posted over the next month or so.

Dallas Mavericks
Jake Kerr: Mavs Moneyball

Houston Rockets
grungedave and UofTOrange: The Dream Shake  

Memphis Grizzlies
Joshua Coleman: 3 Shades of Blue

New Orleans Hornets
Rohan: At the Hive
ticktock6 & mW: Hornets Hype
Ryan Schwan & Ron Hitley: Hornets247.com

San Antonio Spurs
Graydon Gordian: 48 Minutes of Hell

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

- The Rockets had 45 free throws after 3 quarters. That's insane.

- Tommy Heinsohn is pushing Gabe Pruitt aggressively right now. I'm not ready to buy.

- The Bill Walker era could go a lot of different ways. Off the top of my head:

1. Guy who plays way too hard and gets injured as a result. Think Delonte West in Boston.
2. D-League stud.
3. Loose cannon.
4. Contributing role player.
5. Garbage time, highlight reel machine.
6. Overly excited, to the point that it's a little weird, end of the bench guy.
7. League leader in chest bumps.
8. Some combination of the previous 7 suggestions.

- "Classic Leon." - Tommy Heinsohn after Powe grabbed a rebound, tried to rip off Chuck Hayes' arm, and then got to the line. I still think Powe needs to be around a little longer and play more to have classic moments. But I was terrified of Powe at that moment.

- From my preview earlier today -

"If Patrick O'Bryant continues to impress and emerges as the back up center, Davis will be in a bind. He needs to approach these games with a sense of urgency. He's in a contract year, is competing for time with Leon Powe, behind KG of all people, and does not appear to be in peak condition. Furthermore, Powe gets buckets, is incredibly intense, and is also in a contract year. Davis could be relegated to the bench."

Davis must of read it as he responded with a solid effort. At the same time, even Tommy admitted that Davis was "huffing and puffing."

- One of the bigger stories in Boston's preseason has to be the 16 players the Celtics have on the roster right now. Who will get voted off the island? Barring a trade or Brian Scalabrine falling out of favor, Darius Miles and Sam Cassell (from a skill  level) appear to be the most vulnerable. Regular visitors know I don't think Cassell has much left in the tank. I also worry about his shot selection. On top of that Miles made a few nice plays in limited action. Yet, I'm coming around on Cassell a bit. His constant yapping might be an asset. I wish I could do a better job of articulating what I mean. Also Miles is the only one without a guarantee. One more point.

- I wouldn't call Patrick O'Bryant a stiff. Note to self - talk to Golden State Warriors fans about him. Get reactions.

- I liked how O'Bryant, Eddie House, Pruitt, Powe, and Miles played together.

- Given the fact that he played in the Olympics, I was surprised to see Luis Scola get so much time.

- Shane Battier is a tool. That doesn't mean I dislike him. Although I am worried that people might not be saying "tool" anymore. I should check on that.

I got a text from a reader at the game. It's not the highest quality as those aren't typically formatted for a larger screen. But I appreciate the effort. More importantly I can't wait to talk to him. This is an absolutely insane preseason game and he's right up close.

Meanwhile, a ton of basketball and extra curricular activity has already occurred and they've only played a half. Bill Walker and Eddie House going at Tracy McGrady. Kevin Garnett hustling to block Rafer Alston's lay up. Alston's dunk. Paul Pierce and Ron Artest getting into it, rolling on the court at one point. Tony Allen and Patrick O'Bryant in foul trouble. It's been chaotic.

And you know what? I feel good about this Celtics team. They came together like a gang tonight. I don't know what House said to McGrady when he came to Walker's aid, but I'd bet almost anything it included "motha" and a word that rhymes with trucker. It says something when the defending champs fight like hell to go into the half with the lead...in the 3rd preseason game. The NBA is in a fantastic place right now.

I'm coaching a road game today and don't have enough time to fully dive into the news that Comcast fired Bob Cousy. I have to say it caught me off guard for several reasons.

1. Cousy was incredibly positive last season and genuinely enjoyed being there. This wasn't like previous seasons where he complained the whole time.

2. It's Bob Cousy, one of the key remaining links to Red Auerbach. The Cooz!

3. Donny Marshall is okay as a studio guy, but I'm not sold on his broadcasting work.

4. There will come a point when you can't get Tommy Heinsohn and Cousy on the air together. There's no reason to force the issue.

Three Rockets to Watch:

3. Rafer Alston - There's a part of me that's still surprised that he's the top point guard in Houston. Not as surprised as the Dream Shake, but surprised nevertheless. Actually I only brought Alston up to remind everyone of the time Boston ended Houston's win streak on TNT and Rajon Rondo stood his ground:

Rajon Rondo and Rafer Alston Double Tech March 18 2008 (via bigmac15)

Still awesome. And yes if they had been at a night club Rondo would have been in trouble.

Catch more after the jump...

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