Not a series of clips from their more recent, forgettable seasons, either.
Instead, the theme was "a very eventful offseason," with scenes from the news conferences and photo opportunities where Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen - and Scot Pollard and Eddie House - were brought in to turn around the sagging fortunes of the once-proud franchise.
And it's just what crowd wanted to see.
The Celtics brought the New Big Three to the New Boston Garden on Wednesday night, introducing Garnett and Allen - and those other guys, too - to the home crowd for the first time in an otherwise meaningless exhibition game against the New York Knicks. In a deafening introduction and a first-quarter run that helped Boston open a double-digit lead, the change was immediate.
After a traveling call on his first home possession, Garnett brought the crowd to its feet three minutes into the game with a behind-the-back pass to Rajon Rondo under the basket. The 10-time All-Star drained a 20-footer from the right of the circle midway through the first and hit another two baskets before the quarter was over.
He also set picks for his new teammates and created a minor scare when he landed on Kendrick Perkins' ankle with 3:30 left in the first, but stayed in the game, playing 11 minutes, 57.4 seconds of the 12-minute first quarter. On the bench, he went over plays with his new teammates, using hand motions to show them the proper position.
Garnett had nine points and seven rebounds at the half, Pierce scored 14 points and Allen 10.
Although the building was about half-full for the exhibition home opener - the Celtics opened with games in Rome and London - Boston has sold out most of its home games this season.
And Garnett and Allen are the main reasons why.
After going 24-58 last season and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Celtics traded for seven-time All-Star Allen at the draft and then pulled off an unprecedented 7-for-1 trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Garnett, the 2004 NBA MVP.
Along with Paul Pierce, the New Big Three has Celtics fans excited for the first time since the original Big Three won the last of Boston's 16 NBA titles in 1986.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers pretended to be taken aback when he found the full, regular-season complement of reporters waiting to talk to him outside the locker room before the game.
"What are all you guys here for?" he asked with mock surprise. "It's an exhibition game, guys."
But the coach admitted that the excitement might even be creeping into the locker room.
"I don't know about tonight, but I hope there's excitement," Rivers said. "There should be."
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