ESPN

If you're a fan of "Sports Guy" Bill Simmons from ESPN.com, you probably know that his new book, the 700-page "The Book of Basketball," is being released on Tuesday. Based on preorders, it's already ranked sixth on Amazon.com's best-seller list.

Simmons, a Boston native and Holy Cross graduate who now lives in Los Angeles, will be in Boston for book signings on Friday at 12:15 p.m. at the Prudential Center Barnes & Noble, 800 Boylston St., and at 4 p.m. at Hurricane O'Reilly's, 150 Canal St. At those locations, you can meet Simmons in person and either buy a copy of "The Book of Basketball" or get your copy signed.

Also this week, he's scheduled for the following appearances in Boston:

• Friday, Oct. 30: Guest on Dennis & Callahan show (6-10 a.m. on Boston sports radio station WEEI)
• Friday, Oct. 30: Simmons will join the announcing team at halftime of the Bulls-Celtics game at TD Garden (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET).

Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis was sent for X-rays on a hand injury Monday and it has yet to be determined whether he will be available for Tuesday night's season opener in Cleveland, the Boston Globe reported. He was kept out of practice.

The Globe also reported that Ray Allen, who had to get stitches over his eye after getting elbowed at practice Saturday, is expected to be in the starting lineup.

How do the Boston Celtics feel about the team's decision to eschew morning shootarounds on game days? They're not losing sleep over it.

On the advice of Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, a sleep medicine specialist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital, the Celtics have eliminated early game-day shootarounds at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint in Waltham, and have shifted off-day practices to a later start time (typically noon or 1 p.m.)

Most of players embraced the chance to hit the snooze button, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers knew the toughest sells would be two of his key players -- and noted early risers -- Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Their verdicts?

"I always wake up pretty early; my wife, I don't think she likes it because she has to take the boys to school," Allen said with a smile. "I do get to sleep in a little more. I don't have to get up as early, so when I go to bed, I can sleep in a little bit. ... Once I get up, I feel great, I'm not tired at all. I'm getting a great amount of sleep."

Allen, who is well known for being one of the first to arrive for both practices and games, is enjoying that extra time, particularly because it lets him spend more time with his family.

"I can still [be here early] and still get more sleep," Allen said. "That's the beautiful thing about it. I'm not trying to rush in. Some teams, you figure, practice at 10 a.m., so by 12, they're home and they have the rest of the day. But this way, it's not cramping your morning. Before, we really had to wake up at 7, get breakfast, then you start practicing early. Once everyone gets in now, their bodies are pretty awake. You're not feeling groggy. You don't see that sleep in everyone's eyes. Everybody's up."

Given the fact that most players and coaches don't get to bed until the early morning hours after games, the new measure imposes what the team has dubbed "Celtics Time," a moratorium from around 3 a.m.-11 a.m. reserved for rest and relaxation.

Garnett doesn't seem quite as sold on the change, but he's all for anything that promotes the good of the team.

"It is what it is," said Garnett. "Whatever Doc wants. It ain't my cup of tea, but whatever the [coach] wants. Hell, I don't sleep anyway. It's great. I'll find good in everything. If it means I get to sleep from 8:30-9, so be it."

Ray Allen missed part of Saturday's practice after getting elbowed by Kendrick Perkins and suffering a cut over his eye, according to numerous publications. Allen received five stitches.

The Celtics open the season Tuesday in Cleveland and Allen's status for that game is unknown.

"It was a 'skeleton' drill, no defense," Rivers told The Boston Globe. "We thought he was goofing around when he went down. But then we saw the blood."

Ray Allen has been called a sniper before because of his accurate shooting from the perimeter. But the Celtics 14th-year guard actually studied up on snipers a few years back to improve on his free-throw shooting.

Asked about trying to better his already sterling free-throw percentage this season, Allen talked about how reading a book on snipers a few years back helped him start raising that number.

"I'm raising the bar so high, it has to continue to improve over the years," joked Allen. "I've understood free-throw shooting more and understanding my heart rhythms and trying to relax.

"It's pretty interesting. I read a book about snipers, how they train over their targets and how they slow their heart rate down. If their heart beats just a little too much because they get excited, they'll miss their target. So I added that into thinking about my free-throw shooting, [how to] slow down when you want to make a free throw. How do you slow your heart down so that you don't get overexcited so you miss a free throw because your are nervous? All those things I learned allowed me to calm down and relax."

And one glance at Allen's career stats suggests whatever he's doing is certainly working.

Allen estimated he read the book five years ago, which would have been around the time his free-throw percentage dipped to 88.3 percent during the 2004-05 season. His free-throw percentage has improved each year since, spiking at a career-best 95.2 percent last season.

Allen says the key is blocking out all outside influences and sticking to your routine.

"Basically there's a bunch of outside circumstance that you can let inside that can force you to miss," said Allen. "That pressure comes whether on the road or at home, the time and score, all those situations. Now, it's just routine. Everything is routine. You're going to miss free throws, you're going to miss shots. But everything is routine. Just stick to it."

WALTHAM -- Now the Boston Celtics know how the New England Patriots feel.

As the Celtics prepare to open their 2009-10 season Tuesday night in Cleveland, the most common line of questioning following Friday's practice at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint was about how this year's squad compares to the championship team of 2007-08.

Sound familiar? It seems like Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his teammates have fielded a never-ending stream of questions about how this year's offense compares to the record-setting team of 2007. (Never mind the coincidence that both Brady and Celtics forward Kevin Garnett are coming off knee injuries that detoured their team's playoff chances in 2008.)

And like the Patriots, the Celtics are pleading for a wait-and-see approach before making those comparisons.

"I really don't even judge," said guard Ray Allen. "I don't compare. Even if it were the same team, it could be better or it could be worse. The league changes. That conversation can only really be had after the championship is decided and we hoist that banner. Then that decision could be made about which team is better."

Here a sampling of opinions from Allen's teammates:

Forward Kevin Garnett: "I think it's a deeper team. Depth wise, there's a lot more guys who are more effective. That being Rasheed [Wallace] and that being Marquis [Daniels]. Year 1 -- the first year I was here -- we really didn't know what we were going to get. On paper, this is kinda parallel to that, but I'd definitely say this team is deeper."

Forward Paul Pierce: "I definitely think we have more talent. It's yet to be proven that we're better than the team that won a championship. If we win the championship, then ask me that question."

Guard Eddie House: "We want to be better than two years ago. Two years ago won a championship. The only way we can be better than that is if we won a championship. Everybody keeps on comparing us to two years ago. It's a totally different team. We're trying to create our own identity. We're trying to not talk about the past, we're talking about the future and what we can do here. Everyone knows our goal. We don't have to talk about it, we just have to go out and do our jobs."

Lue joins C's ... front-office staff

Tyronn Lue, a veteran of 11 NBA seasons, has joined the Celtics' staff as director of basketball development.

Lue visited practice Friday in Waltham and Celtics PR chief Jeff Twiss stressed that Lue is here to assist the coaching staff and not return to the court. Evidently, there's no Sam Cassell in Lue.

The Celtics tried to bring Lue to Boston as a backup point guard last summer, but he took more money to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished his career with the Orlando Magic after being traded there in February.

The 32-year-old Lue appeared in 554 career games, averaging 8.5 points and 3.1 assists per game. He was a first-round pick of the Denver Nuggets (23rd overall) in 1998.

Speaking of comparisons ...

Reporters couldn't get enough of the comparison questions Friday, so after asking about the 2007 team as a whole, the questions started comparing individual personnel. Mainly, whether Marquis Daniels is this year's version of James Posey.

"They are different players," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, dismissing the comparisons. "They are so different. Posey stood behind the 3-point line, he didn't handle the ball. Marquis handles the ball and he's on the post. The only similarity is that they are both veterans and they are both multi-dimensional, but Marquis more so. The one thing about Posey, is he did stretch the floor."

Health check

Rivers noted that both forward Brian Scalabrine and guard Tony Allen remain sidelined indefinitely with right ankle injures. Both are expected to miss the season opener, as will guard Bill Walker, who continues to recover from right knee surgery.

That means, barring any further injuries, the remaining 12 players on the roster will be active for Tuesday's opener in Cleveland.

Rivers also noted that forward Glen Davis is fine after sitting out the preseason finale with a sore back (he took a charge from the Knicks' Al Harrington last Tuesday). Davis stayed on the court shooting perimeter jumpers after the practice session.

More from Doc

Rivers stressed his team is ready to launch into the season, but said practice the next few days will focus on improving areas like transition defense.

"I felt that our transition D wasn't great," said Rivers. "It has to be great by opening night. Besides Sheed, [Kendrick Perkins], Kevin, and [Rajon] Rondo, we need to talk more. Especially the second unit. We need to be a louder team."

Rivers also took a moment to laud Michael Sweetney, the camp invitee waived by the Celtics on Thursday.

"I think he's an NBA player, no doubt about that," said Rivers. "We've got 15 guys, the numbers didn't help him at all."

In his NBA preview (in which he predicts the Celtics to have a 62-20 record and lose to the Spurs in the NBA Finals), Bill Simmons runs down his 33 Most Intriguing People of the 2009-10 NBA season (Part 1 | Part 2). Included in that list are three players on the Celtics. Below are the Sports Guy's ranking and thoughts on each of them:

30. Rajon Rondo

How will he handle Danny Ainge shopping him while publicly dragging him through the mud last June? Will it bother him that the Celtics didn't care about signing him to an extension? Why are they so afraid to commit to him? Why does he keep getting so much "loner" and "enigma" buzz? Why is everyone so willing to forget how unbelievably he played against Chicago last spring? Why doesn't it matter that he spent the summer playing with Mark Price and getting into sick shape? Why risk pushing away someone this good? What am I missing? I remain confused.

(Even stranger, he's absolutely jacked this year. Not since Joe Piscopo has someone's suddenly ripped body been this disorienting. Check him out. He looks like Calvin Johnson. You will be shocked. If this were baseball, we'd be making HGH jokes about him.)

24. Rasheed Wallace

Am I excited about Sheed turning Boston into the biggest ref-baiting, trash-talking, fan-unfriendly, swaggeracious (I just made up that word) NBA team since the 1992 Knicks? Actually, not really. If you are not a Celtics fan, instinctively, you will dislike the 2009-10 Celtics. Sheed is going to exacerbate every already-annoying quality they had. There will not be a more unpopular opponent in the league. You will see a steady stream of violent chest bumps, screams to the ceiling, angry nodding, eye bulging, intimidating looks, hard fouls, low-scoring games and everything else you'd ever hate about a basketball team. They will feed off your negative energy, live for it, seek it, thrive on it. That's how the season will go.

Is this a good thing? Yes and no. If it's a 67-win team, then, yes. I will put up with it. (And probably enjoy it. It's always fun to root for an Eff You team that's pulling off the Eff You. Don't let anyone tell you differently.) But if it's a 54-win team that looks old on back-to-backs, seems like more sizzle than steak, can't figure out its roles, and spends too much time in petty little battles with opponents and refs (and by the way, Doc Rivers was the No. 1 ref-baiting coach in the league last year), then no, it's probably not a good thing. So we will see.

(Just because you asked: Does it feel strange to root for someone who once uttered the words, "As long as somebody CTC, at the end of the day I'm with them. For all you that don't know what CTC means, that's "Cut the Check." Yes. Yes it does. Especially since he might be washed up. And we DID cut the check. For three freaking years.)

(Deep sigh.)

(It's too early to worry about this. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.)

7. Kevin Garnett

Remember in Shawshank, when Red was describing how Andy burrowed through the walls thanks to "pressure over time." The same goes for NBA players and knees. Pressure over time. You pressure your knees over time, and eventually, they don't work as well. For big guys, they lose three things once their knees start going: explosiveness (self-explanatory), quick hops (the ability to quickly jump up for a rebound or a block without setting their legs and bending their knees first) and auto-start (the ability to quickly start moving from a standing position).

Now, this isn't a career-ender. You can plod along for years afterwards at 70-75 percent effectiveness. Kareem did it. Ewing did it. Shaq just did it the last four years. Hell, C-Webb limped around for two quality Kings teams in 2003 and 2004. It can be done. Just know that, once someone battles a severe knee issue with 1,100-1,200 games on the odometer, those three things (mentioned above) never really come back. It's almost like plastic surgery. Mess with your face once & maybe it looks the same. Go back again ... now you're pushing it. Go a third time ... now you're going to look like Cat Woman. And there's no going back. So if you're expecting KG to slap 24/13s and dominate games defensively, think again. I see him more like an aging middle linebacker -- think Ray Lewis -- who can still make big plays and knows where to be at all times, and yet, you're not crazy about seeing him drop into coverage to cover Knowshon Moreno one on one. Either way, it will be fascinating.

One silver lining for Celts fans: They can make the Finals with Garnett at 65-70 efficiency. Why? Because it's the deepest of the three Garnett/Celtics teams, and because the rest of the conference is that weak. Anything he gives them beyond a 14/7 and good defense is a bonus. A little frightening to say about someone in Year 1 of a 3-year, $53 million extension. But true.

The Celtics wasted little time paring their roster to the league maximum of 15 in advance of Tuesday's season-opener in Cleveland.

One day after wrapping up the preseason with a 96-82 triumph over the Cavaliers, the Celtics officially waived forward Michael Sweetney.

The move was hardly unexpected, but there had been rumblings that the Green liked Sweetney so much that they might be willing to cut ties with a guaranteed contract to keep him around.

Sweetney never got a chance to make a final push for himself as he was sent back to Boston with flu-like symptoms on Tuesday and missed the final two games of the preseason.

Sweetney appeared in five games for Boston and averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game. Sweetney, the ninth overall pick of the New York Knicks in the 2004 draft, spent two seasons in New York and two more in Chicago, but was out of the NBA last season.

The 6-foot-8 Sweetney was listed at 275 pounds during the preseason, but seemed to be playing at a higher weight.

The Celtics' roster now stands at 15 players, a number coach Doc Rivers indicated the Green were unlikely to dip below.

The strips of black tape peeking out from the uniforms of Celtics stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen look more decorative than medical. But if you haven't been introduced to Kinesio tape before, get used to seeing it around professional sports.

"I actually have it on my back," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I don't know what the hell it does, but it makes me feel better. It's not just the tape, they put it on certain muscles. … Maybe it's mental. Just like this [magnetic bracelet] here. A lot of teams are doing it. … I know Kevin loves it; J.R. [Giddens] does it."

Kinesio, also known as elastic therapeutic tape, was invented by a Japanese chiropractor. The tape is typically made from cotton strips with an acrylic adhesive. When applied, it is supposed to simulate the quality of human skin.

The tape gained mainstream attention at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games, where American beach volleyball standout Kerri Walsh wore it on her right shoulder while competing after rotator cuff surgery.

Some wondered if Walsh was covering up a tattoo or adding some sort of flare to the typically bland volleyball uniforms. Turns out she was utilizing some of the 50,000 rolls of tape donated by Kinesio USA.

The tape also received national attention during the 2009 NCAA tournament when UConn's Hasheem Thabeet wore it on his left shoulder.

The tape is gaining support from the medical community, including the Celtics' training staff.

"[Head trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] would say it's not [mental], and Eddie's not a voodoo guy," said Rivers. "Eddie had to take a class for it this summer. Half the trainers in the league took the same class. It's amazing what it does."

But, as Rivers is fond of noting, "Doc" is just his nickname. Don't ask him to explain the tape or how it works.

"It stretches the -- I don't know what the hell it does," Rivers said with a smile. "I just use it because my back has been hurting."

Being a new face on a team is never easy. The Boston Celtics have several new players this season, including guard Marquis Daniels and center/forward Shelden Williams. We'll see in the coming months what they offer on the court, but what are they like off it? ESPNBoston.com finds out.

What question do reporters ask you the most?

Williams: "I get asked about my wife [WNBA superstar Candace Parker] the most. The questions vary, but I always pretty much answer them."

Daniels: "How do I like playing here in Boston and what position do you like playing on the floor. I always say, 'I just like being on the court.'"

Besides basketball, what's something you are really good at?

Williams: "Playing video games and fishing."

Daniels: "Rapping."

What's impressed you most about Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

Williams: "The intensity they bring to the game and in practice every day."

Daniels: "How hard they take the game. Coming to practice & I mean, they take the games, going into games, serious, whether it's practice or just preparation."

Which Celtic has been the most helpful to you?

Williams: "They've all been pretty helpful in their own way. It's a great group of guys."

Daniels: "I have to say all of them. Everybody has been real great helping me with everything. It's been real. I'm like a sponge. I take advice from everybody whether it's a rookie or veteran guy. It doesn't matter."

Favorite NBA teammate you've ever had?

Williams: "Still too early to tell."

Daniels: "Darrell Armstrong. You have to be around him to see it."

Best day of your life on the court?

Williams: "Going to the Final 4 [with Duke]."

Daniels: "Being able to play, any day."

Best day of your life off the court?

Williams: "Between when I got married and when my daughter was born."

Daniels: "Same answer as the last one. Just waking up. Being alive. Just being here."

Song on iPod that gets you pumped up?

Williams: "Anything by Jay-Z or Tupac."

Daniels: "Anything by Gucci Mane or Lil Wayne."

BlackBerry or iPhone?

Williams: "Neither."

Daniels: "Both."

Mac or PC?

Williams: "PC."

Daniels: "Mac."

What is your dream car?

Williams: "My Escalade."

Daniels: "I don't have one."

How many pets do you have?

Williams: "I have three dogs, named Fendi, Prada and Neno."

Daniels: "I don't have any. I don't like animals. I used to have a dog, but I'm cool on those."

Movie you can watch over and over?

Williams: "Any comedy."

Daniels: "'Life' with Eddie Murphy and Martin [Lawrence]."

Who is your favorite comedian?

Williams: "Martin Lawrence."

Daniels: "Martin [Lawrence]. I just think he's funny."

What's your guilty-pleasure TV show?

Williams: "Family Guy."

Daniels: "Can I say CNN Headline News?"

What makes you smile?

Williams: "My family."

Daniels: "Life. My kids."

What's something we don't know about you?

Williams: "Everything has already been said about me. I've been asked everything about my marriage and my wife."

Daniels: "I know a lot about the Bible and I joke a lot."

Louise K. Cornetta is an occasional contributor to ESPNBoston.com.

It's expected that some NBA teams will employ as few as the collective bargaining agreement-mandated 12 active players during the 2009-10 season, eschewing the cost of carrying as many as three inactive players per game.

Don't expect the Celtics to try to save a few bucks by dipping below 15.

"We've discussed it," admitted Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "Obviously, right now we have 16 in [preseason camp], so we don't mind that. That's the owners' choice. I do believe it should be 15 players on every team and 15 dressed players. I've never understood why only 12 can dress when you're paying for 15. If a team wants to pay for 13, then let 13 players dress."

Teams are allowed to utilize their entire roster during the preseason, so Rivers has been able to get every healthy body playing time. For instance, on Sunday vs. Toronto, all 14 players on the road trip saw court time, even if rookie Lester Hudson appeared for only 3:32.

Rivers doesn't like that he'll have to keep a guy like Hudson in street clothes all year, or option him out to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League to get action.

"It's always put us in a bind," said Rivers. "Every day I have to tell three players, 'You're not dressing, you're not dressing, and you're not dressing.' You can still use [the NBDL], send guys down, but that's up to you. If they're traveling with you and practicing just like everyone else [they should be able to play.] I don't understand that."

Much like the freshman at the end of a high school team's varsity roster, Rivers said he would relish being able to utilize those inactive players in blowouts or any other emergency situation.

"I just think they've earned that by practicing," said Rivers. "Obviously, I'm wrong, because we've never done that."

WALTHAM -- Celtics coach Doc Rivers deemed guard Tony Allen "day to day" with ankle soreness after he missed Friday's open practice in Lowell.

But after once again sitting out Saturday's session at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint, Allen didn't seem so keen on the timetable for his return.

Allen, rehabbing from arthroscopic right ankle surgery and posterior tibial tendon repair during the offseason, talked about recent setbacks Saturday, pointing to inflammation and scar tissue in the ankle.

Allen also noted he might have been a bit too enthusiastic about trying to get back on the court -- he approached Rivers just before tipoff of an exhibition game against the Knicks on Oct. 9 -- and the ankle hasn't responded well since he logged a little over eight scoreless minutes.

Now it sounds like Allen might not be ready to return to game action until the second week of the season.

"It was unfortunate that it swelled up on me afterwards," said Allen. "It was aching pretty bad. I'm just focusing on trying to get this right. I know it's going to take a little time, but I feel my body is in shape."

Entering his sixth season in Boston, Allen has been riddled with injuries ever since he appeared to be breaking out early in the 2006-07 campaign. In January of 2007, he tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee while attempting a post-whistle dunk and missed the remainder of the season.

Allen was underwhelming after returning to the court in 2007-08 (averaging career-lows in both field-goal percentage and steals). Last season he underwent surgery on his left thumb after a freak accident at practice and, despite a short bench in the postseason, he was ultimately a non-factor for the Celtics.

Allen remains confident about his return to action.

"I've got days for extra strengthening, extra conditioning, I feel good from that standpoint," he said. "It's just an aching injury, that they expected to be aching around this point."

More health issues

Health was a prominent topic at HealthPoint Saturday.

The Celtics had 14 of their 16 players on the court, the lone exceptions being Allen and Bill Walker (sidelined 6-8 weeks following right knee surgery).

With three road games over a four-day span coming up, particularly with a veteran roster, Rivers was asked about keeping guys healthy.

"I go to the Baptist church, the Catholic church, I cover all my bases," joked Rivers. "I'm a Baptist that went to Marquette, so I got those two covered. Other than that, you try to manage minutes but you also know you gotta play them a certain amount of minutes to keep their rhythm. It's a fine line, but they can handle it."

And Rivers doesn't feel like the offday workloads have been too intense.

"We've had a lot of rest," said Rivers. "One-a-day, short practices -- at least in my mind. I don't know if they'd agree with that. But those type of things."

Rivers indicated he wouldn't push minutes much higher than Wednesday's win over the Raptors, where starters averaged a little more than 24 minutes per game, but that he'd likely shorten the rotation the next two games.

One combination to keep an eye out for: Rivers plans to utilize a lineup with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Marquis Daniels on the floor.

"I don't know who's the 1 in that group," admitted Rive

Traveling is to basketball what the strike zone is to baseball. Everyone knows the rule, but enforcing it certainly seems open to interpretation.

Which is why hardly anyone blinked this offseason when the NBA put into writing a modification to the traveling rule that will allow players to take two steps before having to stop, pass, or shoot.

"It's been two steps for 100 years," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "There's no such thing as 1 1/2 steps. That's the biggest joke of all time. I don't know how you take a half step. It's either a step or it's two steps. I'm glad they finally got around to saying it's two steps."

Like Rivers, most of the Celtics greeted the news with shoulder shrugs when asked about it Friday night following an open practice at Tsongas Arena in Lowell.

"We all know what a travel is," said Allen. "There isn't any new technology out there to be seen. Basketball is basketball. One foot, then you gotta put the ball down. I think what a lot of people have been doing is what we call the Eurostep.

"It's just a small, little, minute opportunity for each different referee to have the discretion whether they feel like it's a travel. A lot of times it depends on who's refereeing the game."

Which is why the rule update is unlikely to alter gameplay this season. It might simply cut down on arguments about whether one or two steps is the written rule.

TrueHoop's Henry Abbott wrote earlier this year how Vice President of Referee Operations Joe Borgia admitted refs, "really don't reference the rulebook" and that two steps has seemingly long been allowed.

From that article:

Borgia claims the current rule is so confusing that it's impossible to tell if it allows one step or two. The suspicion is that the NBA ignores the rule to inspire exciting offensive players to create great moments. Borgia insists the rule is ignored simply because its intent is lost in a tangle of legalistic terminology.

Which is why LeBron James argued until he was as blue in the face as Cleveland's similarly colored third jersey after introducing, "crab dribble" into the NBA lexicon earlier this year. It's why Lakers coach Phil Jackson decries every Dwyane Wade spin move.

While admitting that "referees have a hard job," Celtics guard Marquis Daniels noted traveling has always been open to interpretation. Sometimes it comes down to who disguises it best.

"Everybody's got their own little tricks," said Daniels. "Traveling is like a little trick. Some get away with it, some don't. It's a trick."

Paul Pierce might have summed it up best when asked about the rule alteration.

"They put in rules every year," said Pierce. "Two steps, one step, no steps. Players are good enough to make adjustments."

LOWELL, Mass. -- It wasn't exactly Midnight Madness. Maybe more like Seven O'Clock Sanity.

The Celtics held an open practice for season-ticket holders Friday night at Tsongas Arena, where approximately 3,000 green-clad supporters -- half of the venue's capacity -- shuffled in for a glimpse of the 2009-10 squad as it engaged in a sometimes-spirited, 40-minute session.

The Celtics and the fans did their best to make it an event -- at least one worthy of the $10 parking fee. Rookie Lester Hudson served as pre-practice emcee (Glen "Big Baby" Davis his hype man) and introduced the team over the familiar 50 Cent beats that accompany regular-season introductions at the Garden.

But what may have been the biggest noise of the night was reserved for a hard charge Paul Pierce drew on Hudson during 5-on-5 work. The goal of emerging healthy achieved, Pierce picked himself up and pumped his fist as coach Doc Rivers signaled the offensive infraction.

At the end of the festivities, Pierce simply couldn't bring himself to compare the evening to Midnight Madness, the traditional opening of college basketball practice sessions.

"Not at Kansas," said Pierce, a former Jayhawk. "Maybe at one of these other guys' schools. We do it big."

To be sure, there were no player-choreographed dance routines or fans with ThunderStix, as Kansas has showcased in recent years.

But fans oohed for every Kevin Garnett dunk and ahhhed for every Ray Allen 3-pointer. And Rivers deemed the night a success for the progress his team was able to make before fans even entered the building.

"Before [the fans] came in, we actually put in two plays for Paul; nothing yet for Ray besides some random stuff, but we'll do that tomorrow and we'll keep working," Rivers said.

"We got a lot of good stuff in. This turned out to be a good practice for us."

Besides an open session held on the final day of training camp in Newport, R.I., where Salve Regina students and friends got a glimpse of the Green, this is the only session open to fans this preseason.

The team will practice Saturday in Waltham before departing for Toronto in advance of Sunday's game with the Raptors, the first of three road games in four days that close out the exhibition schedule.

Asked what the team is looking to accomplish leading up to the season opener Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rivers admitted a big part is avoiding injuries.

"It's tough, three games all on the road," said Rivers. "Besides health? Just continuity. We pretty much know what we need to do on both ends. We've just got to keep working."

On the injury front, Rivers deemed Rasheed Wallace fine and said Tony Allen is day-to-day with an ankle injury that kept him out of the last three games. Allen shot around at the end of the session, despite sitting out the real action alongside Bill Walker (who is out six to eight weeks after right knee surgery).

The other 13 Celtics on the active roster engaged in the entire session, as did camp invitee Michael Sweetney.

Rivers said he expects his starters to play both Sunday and Tuesday (vs. the Knicks at Madison Square Garden), but few will see minutes Wednesday against the Cavaliers in Columbus, Ohio. Especially considering the teams meet again in the opener less than a week later.

"When we made our preseason schedule, no one knew that we'd open up against them [six] days later," said Rivers. "That's just how it works out."

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Questions have swirled around the Celtics since the final buzzer of their Game 7 loss to Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals last June.

Will Kevin Garnett, who underwent offseason knee surgery, return as the MVP-caliber player he's been throughout his career? Did general manager Danny Ainge really try to trade point guard Rajon Rondo? Can newcomer Rasheed Wallace mesh with the team's ubuntu? And chief among them, can the Celtics make it back to the championship heights they reached two years ago?

While it may take all season for those answers to become apparent, the Celtics gave a glimpse of the possibilities with one alley-oop dunk in their 106-90 preseason victory over the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at the XL Center.

In the third quarter, Rondo lobbed up a pass toward the basket, and Garnett sprung from the floor, (formerly?) bad knee and all, and slammed it down, bringing the 10,117 in attendance to their feet.

Garnett would slam a few more home in a 32-point quarter that saw the Celtics running, creating and defending at high, perhaps even championship, levels.

"That was nice," said coach Doc Rivers. "Unexpected, actually, because Kevin got kneed in the calf in the first half so I didn't think he was running well and 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."

Garnett made clear in his postgame meeting with the media that he didn't want to talk about his knee. The spring in his step on the court said enough.

Although apparently still not up to full speed, Garnett was well enough to score 16 points, grab six rebounds and block two shots. Off the court, he was his usual fiery self, barking from the bench and displaying that patented KG intensity.

"You see him getting up and down the court," said Paul Pierce, who finished with 17 points in 26 minutes. "He's really getting off the ground a lot better. It's good to see him when he's above the rim. We haven't seen it in a while. We've seen flashes of it, and we got a good chance to see it a few times tonight."

The Big Three of Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen sat out Tuesday night's game against the Nets, watching as Rondo ran the show and came with one rebound of a triple-double.

And despite a relatively slow start Wednesday, Garnett set the pace for the rest of the offense and sparked the chemistry on display with Pierce and Allen. Each of the Big Three equaled or exceeded their preseason highs for minutes played.

"It's really early," Garnett said. "Right now rhythm and chemistry [are important]. Understanding Marquis [Daniels]. Them getting acclimated with Eddie [House] and Lester [Hudson] and all the guys that are here. We're, at this point, trying to put it all together."

"Oh, it's just terrific," Rivers said of the team's chemistry. "You can just see it. I mean, the guys are really close. They kind of understand where they're at as far as rotations and stuff."

But the Celtics, who improved to 4-1 with two preseason games left, still have a ways to go before their season opener at home against the Cavaliers.

All the players know that. And if they don't, Rivers is there to remind them. Rivers said he has a checklist of about 12 things left to work on throughout the remaining seven practices.

On the top of that list?

"Transition D," he said. "That was the first thing at the beginning of the season. We've kind of slipped a little bit on that, so we've got to get back to that."

The Celtics struggled in the first half against the duo of Chris Bosh, who reportedly put on 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, and Andrea Bargnani, both of whom have a rare blend of size and athleticism.

Although last night's performance (21 points) indicated Bosh's hard work in the offseason already is paying off, Garnett couldn't notice the difference. Or, at least he wasn't willing to admit as much.

"I was not eyeing Bosh's body," Garnett said, a sly grin scrawling across his face. "That's a little odd question. He looks crisper, looks stronger. But that's Bosh. That's why they win. He's a big part of that."

But in the second half, the Celtics made him a nonfactor, limiting him to 1 point after intermission.

Garnett wasn't willing to make any predictions on whether this could be the team's best year defensively since his arrival in 2007, but acknowledged they have the talent.

Despite all the positive signs on the offensive end Wednesday, Rivers knows Boston can only get its foot in the Finals door through its defense.

"I think we can be not a good defensive team, a great defensive team," Rivers said. "And if we win, it will be because of that defense."