And on the sixth day, the Celtics scrimmaged. After five straight practices of installation and limited 5-on-5 action, coach Doc Rivers turned his squad loose during Thursday's session in Istanbul. From Celtics.com:

Thursday’s sixth practice of the preseason was the first that featured extended scrimmage time. And by extended, we mean approximately two-thirds of the entire practice.

The session began with minor installation and drills but the team quickly got into scrimmaging that was broken up into four separate games. Each game was timed and often scripted to follow specific circumstances, but the players were given their first opportunity of the season to play at full speed for a lengthy amount of time.

“Our first time really scrimmaging extensively,” said Paul Pierce, “so I had a chance to get up and down, working a few more plays in than we had the past couple of days.”

While Pierce and his teammates were running up and down the court, their head coach, Doc Rivers, was taking a laissez faire approach on the sideline. He stood back, watched, and enjoyed the sight of the green team, made up of the top eight players, and the white team, made up of the rest of the roster, competing at a high level.

“I was very uninvolved in practice in a lot of ways,” said Rivers. “I just walked around and watched.”

Celtics.com also provides a stellar breakdown of the four scrimmage sessions.

Boston opens its exhibition slate on Friday afternoon (2 p.m. EST) against Turkish squad Fenerbache Ulker.