WALTHAM - Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics returned to the hardwood for the first time as a team since the end of the NBA Lockout on Thursday, holding the first day of training camp at their practice facilities inside Healthpoint in Waltham.
Rivers and company got started around 6 p.m. EDT despite the originally scheduled 5 p.m. start time, and the team reacclimated itself to practice, even if it wasn't at full speed.
"We didn't have much of one, really," said Rivers. "We watched some film, kind of walked through stuff. We couldn't do a lot of stuff live. That's fine. We were prepared for that."
In attendance were Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Jermaine O'Neal, Avery Bradley and Marquis Daniels. While the majority of the team was in attendance, there were a few more players that couldn't make it.
"We thought we were going to get a couple other guys make it to practice, and they couldn't," Rivers said. "It's fine. At least the group is together. Guys are together and the guys that couldn't be out on the floor were at least in the building. That's what the first day was. It was a different first day of practice, I'll say that."
When asked which other players did not make it to the team's first day of practice, Rivers said that he was unsure whether or not he could divulge that information.
Rivers and the Celtics will return to practice at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
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