The Celtics watched their hopes of an undefeated preseason go down in flames against Houston Rockets last night, losing 96-90.  The contest, staged in Hildago at the tippy-tip of southern Texas, was typical preseason fare--ragged play plagued with fouls and free throws without any game flow or that much excitement.  The Cs started well (especially in the 1st half), but as their starters gave way to their reserves, they failed to execute down the stretch. 

Yet, one game in, it's never too early to formulate opinions, even if they'll need improving later.  So here are some, in a first blush impression kind of way, keeping in mind that IT'S ONLY THE PRESEASON.

Rondo: his shooting form appears improved, specifically his elbow which is now more tucked and closer to his chest.
 

Ray: in fantastic shape, but struggled staying in front of Kyle Lowry (who usually plays point guard, but started at shooting guard in this game).
 

Paul: they didn't run a play for him all night, letting him ease his way into the season. He seemed to bruise his tail-bone in the 3rd quarter, but shook it off.
 

KG: knee looks A-OK, gait is strong and balanced.  Still working his way back into playing shape, and looked winded in his 2nd half stint; still doing some classic KG things.
 

Perk: he's slimmer and seems to have improved his quickness; his offensive game seems to have gained fluidity.
 

Wallace: whoever had game 1 in the 'Sheed Tech Pool' is a big winner tonight. It was typical Sheed all around, as he was a force in the first half on the defensive end, and looks like he'll get as many 3s as he wants.
 

Daniels: showed he's comfortable as the backup point guard; he can also create his shot at will and has a great finishing knack around the paint; his jumper needs work, but he's going to score a lot of points off the bench.
 

House: he can still shoot threes like nobody's business, just don't ask him to guard Aaron Brooks on the perimeter.
 

Baby: hit some tough shots, but looked a little out of it at times--at the end of the 1st quarter he absent-mindedly left the court and headed for the locker room, thinking it was half-time already.  I hate it when that happens.
 

Scal: late in the second quarter, under duress as the shot clock neared zero, Scal meanders towards the basket and uncoils a text book hook shot that rattles around and in--yes!--Tommy about dies and goes to heaven.
 

Williams: had a strong put-back dunk off a missed free throw and generally played decent, but otherwise his rap proved true--he ain't got good hands, meaning he can't score very efficiently inside and he loses out on a ton of rebounds he should be getting.
 

Hudson: this man's a player, though he obviously needs to hone his PG skill in the D-league; on the plus side, his defense and jump shot are NBA-caliber and he can create off the dribble.
 

Giddens: showed great effort on defense and on the boards, too bad he can't do much in the half court or shoot a jump shot.  If he only had a three point stroke, he'd be Trevor Ariza all over again (they're actually the same age).
 

Sweetney: in quite an upset, Mike led the team in scoring; unfortunately on defense he gave up  as much as he put in on offense; it's too bad he's so out of shape, as he's got a real knack for scoring. 

Quote From the Locker Room (courtesy of the Herald)

I was like a kid in a candy store running around with his head cut off a bit out there, but it’s coming. It felt good. Sprint-wise I’m not where I want to be, but the progress is there.

--KG

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Cs Lose Preseason Opener
Thursday, 08 October 2009
The Celtics watched their hopes of an undefeated preseason go down in flames against Houston Rockets last night, losing 96-90.  The contest,...

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