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BOSTON - Brad Stevens knew he had an all-star point guard when he took the Celtics coaching job, but he didnt really get to see it in his first season on the Boston bench.Reconstructive knee surgery kept Rajon Rondo out for the first half of Stevens inaugural season in Boston. Rondo hadnt yet regained his old form when, as Stevens prepared for Year 2, Rondo broke his hand.After missing the entire exhibition season, though, Rondo returned for the regular season opener on Wednesday night and scored 13 points, adding 12 assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes to help the Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 121-105.He looks like himself, Stevens said. He kind of looks like what I saw on film before I got here. I dont think he ever looked like that at any time last year. ... But he is back to full speed. And its really good to see.Kelly Olynyk had 19 points and Jeff Green added 17 for Boston, which opened a 29-point lead at the end of the third quarter and coasted to the win.More than an hour after the game ended, Rondo appeared in the locker room and said he was still improving.I wasnt as explosive as I was in the past, he said. At certain points, I felt like I was skipping a beat. Other than that, it was fun being back out there. It was great to be back out there playing basketball again.Mirza Teletovic had 20 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench for the Nets, who trailed for all but a pair of free throws that opened the game. Joe Johnson scored 19 points for Brooklyn, and Deron Williams had 19 points and eight assists.We never really matched their energy, said centre Mason Plumlee, who picked up two fouls in the first quarter and two more in the third and played just 11 1-2 minutes.Rondo said he didnt decide to play until about an hour before the tipoff, after waking up from a pregame nap and feeling ready to play. Wearing a black brace on his left wrist and hand, Rondo showed no ill effects of the injury, dribbling with both hands and shooting 6 for 9 — better than his career 47.5 shooting percentage.The Celtics led 101-72 at the end of the third quarter, but Brooklyn went on a 12-2 run to start the fourth and cut the deficit to 19. The Nets made it 112-97 on Johnsons 3-pointer with 4 minutes left but couldnt come any closer until the final seconds.Rondos return on opening night stole some of the attention from ex-Celtic Kevin Garnett, who received a big cheer when he was introduced with the starting lineups and went on to score 10 points with six rebounds.The 38-year-old Garnett played six seasons in Boston, leading the Celtics to the NBA finals twice and the teams unprecedented 17th championship in 2008. He picked up a technical foul late in the game, prompting a KG! chant from the crowd.After the game, Garnett walked through the hallway between the locker rooms, greeting the building staff and other people he knew from his time in Boston.Its always great to come to back here. I love Beantown, he said. Im always bleeding green.The Celtics opened a 21-12 lead in the first period and led by 10 with four minutes left in the second when they went on a 17-1 run to close the half. Marcus Thornton had eight points in the second quarter, and Rondo had four more assists to give him nine for the half.TIP-INS: Rondo was 0 for 4 from the free throw line. ... Nets coach Lionel Hollins, in his first game with Brooklyn, picked up a technical foul for arguing with the referees in the second quarter. ... Garnett got a big cheer when he was introduced before the game. ... Boston shot 61 per cent in the first half.FORMER CELTIC: Seeing a familiar face when he walked into the TD Garden, Garnett seemed ready for big things after a year in which his age seemed to be showing. Asked how he felt, Garnett said, Really good. Youll see. Just watch.HONORARY CELTIC: The Celtics owners presented Isaiah Austin with a jersey and named him an honorary Celtic for life during a break in the second period. A week before the NBA draft, in which he had been a potential first-round pick, the sophomore centre from Baylor was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic heart disorder. He is now working to call attention to the disease.UP NEXT:Celtics: At Houston on Saturday.Nets: At Detroit on Saturday. Jordan Staal Jersey . Jones, from Winnipeg, built a 3-0 advantage after three ends by scoring two in the second and one in the third. Chinas skip Bingyu Wang cut that lead to 3-1 in the fourth before Canada added another three in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Julien Gauthier Jersey .5 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, a deal that covers his final two arbitration seasons. http://www.officialhurricanesfanstore.com/authentic-michael-ferland-hurricanes-jersey/ .com) - Richard Shermans two interceptions highlighted a dominant defensive effort, as the Seattle Seahawks routed the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC West Thanksgiving clash. Jordan Martinook Jersey .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Martin Necas Jersey . And by all indications, the team is expected to select phenom Connor McDavid with their selection. The Buffalo Sabres, who were knocked down to the second overall pick after finishing with the worst regular season record, are expected to take the other generational player in Jack Eichel.The Los Angeles Kings stormed back after falling behind 2-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring six straight goals to take Game Two, tying the series at one game apiece. Jeff Carter was the scoring force for the Kings, with a hat trick and an assist, all in the third period. Carter now has 16 points in 16 playoff games and, over the past three years, has 42 playoff points, ranking second only to Anze Kopitar. Carter is having success centering a line with rookies Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli on his wings. Pearson had a couple of assists in Game Two and Toffoli scored the Kings fourth goal. Pearson and Toffoli each have nine points in the postseason, one behind Nathan MacKinnon and Torey Krug for the rookie lead in the playoffs. Pearson has been particularly efficient in terms of points per minute of ice time. Chicago appeared to have the game well in hand, holding a 2-0 lead with a couple minutes left in the second period, but Justin Williams scored a goal off a seemingly inoccuous play to get the Kings on the board with 1:40 remaining in the second, then Los Angeles scored a pair of power play goals in the first 4:04 of the third period to turn the game upside down. Kings D Alec Martinez had an assist, but was also on the ice for 18 shot attempts for and seven against (72.0%) during 5-on-5 play. With Martinez off the ice, the Kings got 39.1% of the 5-on-5 shot attempts. At the same time, the Kings top defence pairing of Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin were both on for less than 30% of the shot attempts at 5-on-5.dddddddddddd Chicagos possession leader was LW Brandon Saad (13 attempts for, four against, 76.5%), while RW Kris Versteeg and C Peter Regin were at the other end of the spectrum, both under 25% in possession terms. Kings G Jonathan Quick stopped 23 of 25 shots, making some crucial saves when the game was 2-0 for Chicago and a third goal might put the game out of reach. Blackhawks G Corey Crawford allowed five goals in a game for the first time since November 16. Its not a surprise that the Kings power play made a difference -- their 24.1% success rate in the playoffs is best among the final four teams -- but the surprise is seeing the Blackhawks penalty killing unit get lit up for a pair of goals. Prior to Game Two, Chicagos penalty kill had allowed four goals on 48 power plays, 91.7%, so to suddenly allow two within 2:27 in the third period was highly unusual -- Chicago had allowed two power play goals against once in the previous 61 (regular season plus playoff) games. While the manner in which it happened could be considered surprising, it should be expected that the Kings will give the Blackhawks all they can handle. These are two elite teams and neither figures to go quietly, but now the advantage goes to the Kings who, with the split in Chicago, have gained home-ice advantage. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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