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After the fact, Krstic admitted to being very nervous leading up to tip-off.
“I think that’s normal,” said Krstic. “Especially for me, I’ve never been traded before and never been in this situation. So I was nervous. Even yesterday and shoot around this morning. The whole new situation. Everything is new and I wasn’t used to it.”
CSNNE: Decent debuts for Green & Krstic
When Green finally got on the floor with little more than two minutes to play in the first quarter, he botched a screen trying to spring Allen, got dunked on by Randy Foye trying to defend a fast-break situation, and clanged the front end of a pair of free throws before making the back end for his first points in a Boston uniform.
Then he exhaled.
"I said, 'I had to get the first one out,' but, after the first one I kind of relaxed," said Green. "I got my rhythm and things started to go well for me."
ESPN Boston: Green hopes this is the start of something
It's not surprising that these guys were nervous. Think about the move they made.
They left a small city where basketball has only existed for a few years to join a major market franchise that defines the NBA. They left a a team where the best player is 22 years old to join a team full of veterans. They left a team with very little playoff experience to join a championship winning team that's been through hundreds of playoff games.
I love the Thunder. They're a fun team and a promising team and I really can't say anything bad about them. But that's small potatoes compared to putting on the green and white jersey. It just is. In fact, it's probably good that they're joining the team on the road. This way they can just sit and learn from these guys rather than also getting overwhelmed by the atmosphere in Boston as well. It's really going to hit them when they actually get here and play a few home games.
But in the end, it really is just basketball. So if you can separate yourself from all this other stuff, you'll end up being fine. The pressure, the fans, the history… that's all stuff to talk about with the media before and after the game. But for 48 minutes, it's the same game you've played your whole life. So these guys will be fine.
The change of scenery did push Krstic to be a little more aggressive on the boards, though. He admitted as much after the game, and Doc (well, Doc and Lawrence Frank) had the line of the post-game news conference.
as newly acquired center Nenad Krstic hauled in offensive carom after offensive carom Saturday night, coach Doc Rivers turned to top assistant Lawrence Frank and asked if this was normal for him.
"I said, 'Does he do that all the time?' and Lawrence said, 'If he did, I'd still be in New Jersey,'" Rivers relayed with a smile. Frank coached Krstic during his four seasons with the Nets at the start of his NBA career.
Related links: Globe: Forward progress with Green | Krstic the center of attention | Herald: New Celtics go to school |
On Page 2: KG didn't talk much but he did have a Kung Fu grip
"It was a tough matchup," Griffin said. "He's a good defensive player, but I think for me it's just upon me to take this and learn from it. A player like him has his tricks. Being a rookie, you're not going to get any calls like that. So over time, that's something that will go away."
The physical matchup is one issue, but Garnett is a notorious trash talker, especially against younger players. Griffin said Garnett actually didn't say much Saturday. Or at least not as much as he had been prepared for.
"You know I didn't think he did as much as I heard he would do," Griffin said. "But he was pretty quiet. He was pretty calm. He was just talking about how many minutes I've been playing. I can't make out what he said when he's got the Kung Fu grip on you or something. We didn't talk a whole lot."
Globe: Griffing talks about first matchup without KG
I wonder if KG was still a little sapped emotionally. Still, I love the King Fu grip line. Lord knows what KG gets away with defensively. Veterans develop little tricks that the refs don't always see… especially on the blocks.
The lack of talking could also be a little respect for the young guy. Blake's not only damn good, he says all the right things. So who knows.
Related links: CSNNE: Celtics keep Griffin under wraps
The rest of the links:
Globe: New-look C's finish strong | Herald: Celtics get it together | Player unrest is a lock | Shaq won't hit the road | Perk can see himself in OKC long term | CSNNE: West effective while Rondo rests | Celtics beat Clipper with big second half | Krstic grateful to join C's | WEEI: Celtics sail past Clips
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