Boston makes overmatched Charlotte resemble JV team

BOSTON — By the time Charlotte tallied its first points of the game, 4:58 had already run off the clock. Once the Bobcats scored their first points of the second half, 6:08 had already been played.

For the Boston Celtics, defense was the name of the game last night in their home opener.

"We shut a team down," said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. "That is hard work. The majority of our practices are schemes and preparing for different teams night in and night out. We work on it every day. We were ready for today."

A fan could be heard calling Charlotte the "JV Bobcats" as the C's stifled the visitors 92-59.

Those 59 points ranked as the fewest scored by Charlotte in the team's six-year history. The next worst was 62 in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Dec. 8, 2006.

"I thought (the defense) was terrific," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, whose team didn't look like it was playing its second game in two night. "I thought, obviously, we were very active early. We had tons of deflections. I thought we carried that over (from the Cleveland win). The last two nights, I thought it has been absolutely wonderful."

The Celtics pestered the Bobcats all night, causing 18 turnovers.

"We always stress hot hands," said Paul Pierce. "When we're able to get in the passing lanes, force turnovers, it gets contagious and guys are everywhere and you just know a guy's going to be there. It's great to watch, especially when we're keeping our turnovers down."

Legendary Bobcats coach Larry Brown showed plenty of frustration with his team's opening night struggles.

"Our team wasn't prepared," said Brown. "We talked before the game, 'Just don't turn the ball over early and hang in.' We had about eight turnovers in the first eight or nine minutes. We have a lot of guys scared to death, and that's tough."

Raining threes

The C's hit a combined 11 of 29 3-pointers, with Ray Allen (4), Rasheed Wallace (3), Pierce (3) and Eddie House (1) all contributing. Charlotte was 0 for 10.

"It's great," said Allen. "We don't settle on the 3-pointer, but that's what the team was giving us. Marquis (Daniels) didn't want to take one, but he was so wide open he had to. I was in that situation a few times. As the season progresses, those shots progress. Being out there with Rasheed and Eddie, someone's going to be wide open."

Safe at second

There was some panic around the court when Garnett took what appeared to be a nasty spill. But KG laughed off the incident after the game.

"I slid into second base," Garnett said with a chuckle. "My first intention was to go back and run. But I saw Paul and (Rajon) Rondo on the break, and I said, 'You know what, they have that. Let me just sit back here and rub this hip.' Doc said it looked really bad, but it wasn't. I have these pads on. I slid into second base, and I think I was safe."

With Garnett just back from a knee injury that cost him much of last season, Rivers wasn't overly concerned about the forward playing back-to-back nights.

"We're not worrying about that too much yet," said Rivers. "It's not just about minutes, it's intensity. We've had Cleveland, then opening night. You can't match that intensity. After four or five games that calms down."

Perennial teenagers

They have plenty in common, be it aggressiveness on the court or multiple All-Star appearances. But Garnett and Wallace have found something else to bond over - music.

"Sheed's a throwback," said Garnett. "We have a lot of similarities when it comes to music. We both enjoy the throwback stuff to the '70s stuff, the Dick Clark days. We've had a few laughs. But he's a little more into it than I am."

Brown's knowledge an influence on Rivers

After leaving the league for two years following a disastrous one-year stint with the Knicks, Larry Brown's return to coaching was no surprise to one former player.

"Larry is a guy that relishes the opportunity to coach every day," said Rivers. "He loves it every day. There are some people that just need to coach, and Larry is one of them."

Rivers saw Brown in action during the 1991-92 season when he was playing point guard for the Los Angeles Clippers team that Brown was coaching. He said he learned a great deal from the three-time NBA coach of the Year and 2002 NBA Hall of Fame selection.

"It's the little things he sees," said Rivers. "Like that the forward didn't cut to the elbow, and how that affects the rest of the team. I never used to think about it. I'd just get the ball to Dominique (Wilkins) and let him shoot. Those lessons stay with you forever."

Brown, 69, is the fourth winningest coach in NBA history (1,045-848, .552), trailing just Lenny Wilkens (1,332-1,155, .536), Don Nelson (1,309-1,008, .565) and Pat Riley (1,210-694, .636). He led Detroit to an NBA championship in 2004, and coached the University of Kansas to a national title (1988).

Judging by last night, Brown might be lucky to hit 1,160 wins this year.

Scal sits

While Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine was on the bench in uniform last night, drawing cheers from fans, Rivers said he was not yet healthy enough to see game action due to a sprained ankle.

"He dressed because we had an extra uniform," said Rivers. "But we knew we would not have him for the first few games. It's a shame because this would have been a perfect game for him with the small power forwards they play."

Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who was suspended indefinitely following his hand injury suffered in an early morning fight with a friend, was not on the bench.

Yankee-hater

Philadelphia native Rasheed Wallace could be seen wearing a Philadelphia Phillies jacket after the game. He expressed his allegiance to the Yankees' World Series opponent. ... Celtics rookie guard Lester Hudson made his NBA debut, playing 9:36 but not scoring a point. ... New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker was on hand. ... Duke rookie Gerald Henderson Jr., the son of the former Celtic, scored eight points in his NBA debut.

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Celtics make Charlotte look like a JV team

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