“Darko has been phenomenal with his defense and his passing.” — Doc Rivers

Rajon Rondo drilled his first seven shots and scored 17 points in the first quarter; Darko Milicic produced at a helpful level, rebounding, blocking shots and even occasionally initiating offense from the high post; Jared Sullinger started and continued to display an elite basketball IQ that allows him to find open seams in the defense (also displayed: soft hands, a relentless rebounding mentality, and OH MY GOODNESS I’M DOING CARTWHEELS NOW); Jason Terry’s most helpful asset is NOT his shooting but his ability to create plays, even though he possesses more scoring talent than last year’s bench combined; Jeff “James Worthy” Green scored 17 points in another aggressive outing; and the Boston Celtics’ increased talent level was easily evident in a 105-75 win against EA Milano.

Plenty more to come later.