The 2010-11 Celtics season began on Monday, when the team hosted Media Day at its practice facility in Waltham. Training Camp officially gets underway Tuesday, and then the preseason games begin next week, with a game against the Sixers on Oct. 6.
Jimmy Toscano was on hand Monday, covering Media Day for CelticsBlog.
- Ray Allen came into camp weighing around 206 lbs. Said he ran more this offseason than he ever has and is in excellent shape. Glad to be back on the team for another run at the ring.
- Danny Ainge is excited for the season. Glad to have Shaq and Jermaine on board and very excited about Delonte. Mentioned how hard it was to trade him for Ray but couldn't pass up on it.
- Paul Pierce just spoke. Had a smile from ear to ear the entire time. Ready to get the season started with the new group of guys. Mentioned how excited he was to be able to play with Shaq. Didn't consider leaving the Celtics when he opted out. Just did it for cap purposes and for more years. Did mention that his decision to come back weighed heavily on whether Doc came back. If Doc came back he feels that ownership probably wouldn't have signed Ray back or went after Shaq. Asked how it would have felt to deal with a rebuilding stage all over again, Pierce said he probably wouldn't have been able to and would have ended his career as a Celtic.
There's also a Media Day photo gallery, which features some great images of Shaquille O'Neal, over at CelticsBlog.
Follow along in this StoryStream for training camp news from now until the regular seasons tips-off against the Heat on Tuesday, Oct. 26.