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Former UConn great Ray Allen shows some frustration in the second half of the Celtics' 106-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors in an NBA exhibition game Wednesday at the XL Center. Allen shot just 1-for-7 and had eight points, six rebounds and four assists. (MICHAEL MCANDREWS / HARTFORD COURANT / October 13, 2009) |
HARTFORD -
Kevin Garnett soared toward the basket, took a pass from Rajon Rondo and delivered a dunk that brought the 10,117 at the XL Center to their feet Wednesday night.
The first quarter alley-oop in a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors spoke volumes about the Celtics and their title hopes.
Garnett, returning from right knee surgery, is beginning to let loose.
"That was nice," coach Doc Rivers said after the Celtics' 106-90 victory. "All of a sudden out of nowhere, he becomes the old Kevin. That's the only thing, really, that you can see that he hasn't done, and to see that, that's really big. That was good."
In their first trip to Hartford since 1995, the Celtics gave the fans a show. The starting five — Garnett, Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins — played significant minutes.
Pierce had 17 points in 26 minutes, while Garnett scored 16 in just under 23. Glen Davis came off the bench to score 13 in just under 20 minutes.
The Celtics played with what Garnett called a "flow" and they displayed intensity, on and off the court. As the second unit worked out some kinks, Garnett was screaming and instructing from the bench.
"[The chemistry] is just terrific," Rivers said. "You can see it. I mean, the guys are really close."
And while the Hartford crowd saw the infancy of what figures to be a NBA title contender, the best part of the night was welcoming Allen back to Connecticut. In his first game in the building since 1996, Allen received a thunderous ovation and addressed the crowd before tipoff.
Allen scored eight points and shot 1-for-7, but he said it was a special night. Walking into the building brought back a flood of memories from his UConn days.
"The whole time I was shooting I was just thinking about seeing the student section," Allen said. "This is a building, in my mind, that's always been blue and white."
There was a definite UConn vibe in the building. Former UConn forward Donny Marshall was behind the microphone for the Celtics broadcast and Jim Calhoun was in the stands.
"I bet you he felt out of place," Allen said. "He felt out of place just sitting there. You know, he could relax."
The victory was the Celtics' fourth in a row since a loss to the Rockets in their preseason opener. There are three exhibition games left before the season opens Oct. 27 at Cleveland.
As they solidify the first unit and blend newcomers such as Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace (who did not play Wednesday) into the rotation, the Celtics are using their last few preseason games as intense practices.
"We've got a checklist and we've still got a lot of stuff to do," Rivers said.
Defense is No. 1 on the checklist. Assistant coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau — a New Britain native who also had a homecoming in Hartford — had them playing hard, even in a meaningless game against the Raptors.
"I think we can be not a good defensive team, a great defensive team," Rivers said. "If we win, it will be because of that defense."
And with Garnett and Rondo clicking on the offensive end, the Celtics are beginning to look a lot like the 2008 title team.
"We played with a real nice rhythm," Garnett said. "I'd like to say chemistry is building."
The first quarter alley-oop in a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors spoke volumes about the Celtics and their title hopes.
Garnett, returning from right knee surgery, is beginning to let loose.
"That was nice," coach Doc Rivers said after the Celtics' 106-90 victory. "All of a sudden out of nowhere, he becomes the old Kevin. That's the only thing, really, that you can see that he hasn't done, and to see that, that's really big. That was good."
In their first trip to Hartford since 1995, the Celtics gave the fans a show. The starting five — Garnett, Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins — played significant minutes.
Pierce had 17 points in 26 minutes, while Garnett scored 16 in just under 23. Glen Davis came off the bench to score 13 in just under 20 minutes.
The Celtics played with what Garnett called a "flow" and they displayed intensity, on and off the court. As the second unit worked out some kinks, Garnett was screaming and instructing from the bench.
"[The chemistry] is just terrific," Rivers said. "You can see it. I mean, the guys are really close."
And while the Hartford crowd saw the infancy of what figures to be a NBA title contender, the best part of the night was welcoming Allen back to Connecticut. In his first game in the building since 1996, Allen received a thunderous ovation and addressed the crowd before tipoff.
Allen scored eight points and shot 1-for-7, but he said it was a special night. Walking into the building brought back a flood of memories from his UConn days.
"The whole time I was shooting I was just thinking about seeing the student section," Allen said. "This is a building, in my mind, that's always been blue and white."
There was a definite UConn vibe in the building. Former UConn forward Donny Marshall was behind the microphone for the Celtics broadcast and Jim Calhoun was in the stands.
"I bet you he felt out of place," Allen said. "He felt out of place just sitting there. You know, he could relax."
The victory was the Celtics' fourth in a row since a loss to the Rockets in their preseason opener. There are three exhibition games left before the season opens Oct. 27 at Cleveland.
As they solidify the first unit and blend newcomers such as Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace (who did not play Wednesday) into the rotation, the Celtics are using their last few preseason games as intense practices.
"We've got a checklist and we've still got a lot of stuff to do," Rivers said.
Defense is No. 1 on the checklist. Assistant coach and defensive guru Tom Thibodeau — a New Britain native who also had a homecoming in Hartford — had them playing hard, even in a meaningless game against the Raptors.
"I think we can be not a good defensive team, a great defensive team," Rivers said. "If we win, it will be because of that defense."
And with Garnett and Rondo clicking on the offensive end, the Celtics are beginning to look a lot like the 2008 title team.
"We played with a real nice rhythm," Garnett said. "I'd like to say chemistry is building."