I wrote a piece for SLAM Online about the game last night, focusing mostly on Ray’s shot and Shaq’s performance.

“I’ve shot the ball too many times,” said Allen. “I don’t question going to the bathroom. I don’t question eating. It’s just that simple for me. If I closed my eyes, I could make a good amount of shots.”

Did Rivers hesitate calling a clutch play for Allen, whose All-World jumper looked to be left in the locker room?

“Not with Ray,” Rivers said. “No, no. Ray is a shooter. Shooters make shots. So, no.”

“He’s one of those guys, he can go 0-10; you know the one guy that believes he’s going to make it is Ray. And the second group [that believes] is our team. When we drew it up, you could tell, they thought it would work and they went with it,” added Rivers.

“That’s just Ray. That’s self-explanatory. You’ve seen him do it a million times,” offered Paul Pierce. “He’s such a great player, such a clutch player. I can’t even describe being out there with him, I love playing with him. He takes so much pressure off of me, Kevin, Rondo, when you’ve got a guy you can go to.”

Click here to read the rest of the piece.

Happy New Year’s, Serge Ibaka.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “It didn’t take long to recognize a transformation in Glen Davis this season. It started with the charges, as he sacrificed his body and slammed to the floor night after night. Next came the jumpshots, which he began to knock down on a consistent basis. Then there were the interviews where he spoke about leadership, maturity, and accountability. Davis had come a long way from the player who, just last season, broke his thumb fighting a friend and was fined for shouting an obscenity at a fan. Big Baby was growing up — but what changed him? Why now? As Davis revealed, someone very small has had a huge influence on him. ‘The summer was an eye-opening experience for me, just because of losing in the Finals,’ he told CSNNE.com. ‘Then also it comes to realization of, ‘Hey, I’ve become a father.’ I think that was one of the biggest things that really changed me.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “The first, crafted by Kevin Garnett and Tom Brady, requires at least a year after knee surgery before an athlete reaches his destination: complete health. And then there’s the Wes Welker version — the one that completes the trip in half the time. Perkins, who took an important step over the first half of yesterday’s practice by participating and even dunking in a dummy offensive drill, believes he can follow the faster road. ‘It was two different surgeries, two different guys,’ Perkins, who had the more radical surgery, said of Garnett. ‘Believe it or not, me and KG are mentally different. KG had to take his time getting back, and I’m a guy who will push to get back quicker. It’s the difference between me and him.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “‘Perk looked great for what he did, he actually dunked a couple times,’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘That’s good. He’s in great shape and that’s one thing. He’s worked so hard.’ Little more than five months after undergoing ACL surgery in mid-July, Perkins underwent a MRI last week to gauge his healing. With his doctors satisfied with his progress, Perkins was fitted for a new brace for his right knee and cleared by the Celtics’ medical staff to participate in noncontact drills with the team. … Asked if he thought about his knee during the practice, Perkins said, ‘Not today. A couple times I did, like on a pick-and-roll that I went up and dunked, but I didn’t even think about it then, not until after. I was like, ‘Damn, I might be all right, after all.’ I felt pretty good out there.’ One time on the court isn’t enough to clear that mental hurdle, and Rivers knows that is likely the biggest challenge any injured player faces in coming back from a major injury. ‘The mental part is when he comes back, how much he trusts his leg,’ Rivers said. ‘If we can get anything out of Perk this year, we’ll be thrilled. I know he’s going to play, but it usually takes a year after surgery to be completely confident. Some break that barrier earlier — [New England Patriots wide receiver] Wes Welker being one — but Tom Brady couldn’t. He was good last year; he’s the MVP this year.’ Perkins would love to make like Welker, and his ability to get back on the playing field for even the most basic of exercises just five months after surgery is remarkable. But Perkins also stressed that, while he hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his recovery, he’s trying not to be overly ambitious with his timeline to return. In fact, he suggested that Rivers, who usually preaches a ‘take all the time you need to get 100 percent’ philosophy, might have a speedier timeline (late January/early February, according to Perkins) than the big man himself is envisioning (All-Star break in late February).”

Michael Vega, Boston Globe – “O’Neal, meanwhile, drew one step closer to getting back from a sore left knee that left him sidelined for the last 19 games. He hinted that he might play tonight against the 76ers at TD Garden. ‘It’s a challenge,’ O’Neal said of his protracted absence — since the second half of an 89-87 loss at Dallas Nov. 8. ‘We don’t have a ton of practices, so you can’t wait until you get five good practices. You got to play when you feel like it’s doable and I feel like I’m close. I may play [tonight]. I’m just going to talk to the medical staff and see how they feel and how they’re going to gauge it, but I feel like we’ve done enough work to protect the knee. Conditioning-wise, I’m not going to be in tip-top shape, but it happens when you don’t have enough practices. I will [be] when I do have enough practices.’ A welcome sight for the lucky sponsors who attended the open practice was Perkins throwing down a dunk off a pick-and-roll move. ‘Today he was the most active [that he’s been],’ coach Doc Rivers said of Perkins. “He even did the warm-ups, which he’s never done before.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Rivers had an interesting analogy when asked about Garnett’s importance to his defense. ‘I think (Garnett) is the best linebacker in the league,’ the coach said. ‘He’s very much like Mike Singletary was with the Bears — you can see those eyes, and he’s calling out all the coverages. He’s pretty much back to where he was three years ago, and he may be better now because he knows the team better. He sees the floor. He’s the point guard on defense, he sees the coverages, he smells things out. He studies the game. If we call ‘four up three down’ (tonight) — that’s a Philly play — he’ll know the actions. Him and two other guys. That’s why he’s good. (Orlando’s) Dwight Howard is pretty good, too, but they’re different.’”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

For those of you wondering, THIS is what it looks like when someone does chin-ups with his nuts resting on Amir Johnson’s neck.

And yes, this dunk was from two days ago. It’s worth the wait, no?

Watch it again. Keep your eyes only on Rondo this time. I’m almost positive he doesn’t look at Ray Allen once until he’s in midair, and even then it was just a quick glance. Unless Rondo has eyes in the back of his head, which is entirely possible. Hell, at this point it even seems probable.

While I’m discussing Rondo, was anyone else not very concerned with his injuries last night? He couldn’t stop Ty Lawson in the second quarter, but I didn’t feel like it had anything to do with Rondo’s hammies or feet. He just got caught doing what Rondo sometimes has a tendency to do — gamble. In the second half, when Rondo stopped reaching after Lawson, he began to stay in front of him. It wasn’t rocket science, and I don’t think it was Rondo being injured. It was just the simple matter of practicing the defensive principles Doc Rivers loves to preach.

Rondo’s offense, despite five turnovers, was great (read this), and his defense — despite that second-quarter nonsense — was actually pretty good. He harassed Chauncey Billups into 2-10 shooting, and only 5 points, and — as I already mentioned — did a nice job on Lawson in the second half.

The only truly troublesome incident happened in the third quarter. Rondo exited out of the game with 4:38 seconds left in the quarter, well before Rivers normally subs him out. Clearly feeling some discomfort, Rondo could be seen stretching on the sideline. He returned only a minute later, but the fear of God was instilled in me. No Celtics fan wants to see Rajon Rondo quite visibly in pain, even if he can still thoroughly control games while less than 100%.

Before I continue treating Antoine Walker like ESPN treats Brett Favre, just look at the Celtics’ headbands. They damn near cover their eyeballs. Then, if you really want to puke, check out Mark Blount.

Okay, now back to the task at hand — Brett Favre’ing Antoine Walker’s return to competitive basketball.

Why do I still write about Antoine Walker? Why don’t I hate him for, or at least be more disturbed by, his miserable shot selection or occasional unwillingness to rebound? When it comes to Antoine Walker, why do I still care?

The first reason is simple. Walker’s actions were often misguided, but his intentions were pure. This was a player who backed his teammates, who wanted desperately to win, who showed passion every time he stepped onto a basketball court. The Walker Wiggle wasn’t just an immature player celebrating his greatness for an entire crowd to see — it was the pure reaction of a player wholly engrossed in a game’s joy.

Walker never cared enough about certain things he should have, such as staying in shape or taking two-pointers. But though he didn’t go about improving the right way, basketball never seemed like a chore to him, or a job. As soon as he touched a Spalding ball, Walker became like a kid on a playground. Basketball was always a game to him, always something that brought him joy in a way few things could.

I never had a conversation with Walker; he never explained his love of basketball to me. I gathered all these opinions from watching him play, from observing all the nights he brought his shimmying excitement to the court. And yes, those were often the same nights he chucked far too many bad shots. Nobody ever said watching ‘Toine play basketball was a smooth ride. There were certainly times I wondered, “Why, Antoine? Why???” But even through all the frustration, seeing Antoine Walker play could also be a nice reminder that, to some NBA players, the game was more than just a paycheck.

I could now discuss why using “Antoine Walker” and “paycheck” in the same sentence brings up an interesting conversation, but, instead, on to my second reason for loving Walker.

When I was a young student, I was once forced to read a poem about age. I forget the name of the poem, and I forget the poet’s exact words, but I remember the premise. When I become 77 years old, I won’t just be shaped by my latest memories. I am not just a 77 year-old. Part of me, part of my memories, will always be five years old, riding a bicycle for the first time. Part of me will always be 14, stepping through my high school halls. Part of me will always be 22, graduating from college with a tight group of friends.

And part of me will forever be 11 years old, overlooking Antoine Walker’s obvious flaws because of his love for the game, his desire to win. No matter how many times Walker screwed up, he always meant well. For 11 year-old me, that was good enough.