After three days of practice, star center Kevin Garnett certainly sounds pleased with how things are going with the Boston Celtics and their training camp at Salve Regina University.

"The chemistry has been very good, needless to say," he said. "It's a damn zoo around here. It's all good but we get some work done, too."

The players clearly love the high level of competition that the coaches are fostering.

"Our practices have been predicated on getting ready for the first game of the playoffs. Doc said it. Every practice, every game is predicated on just that. That was the message from Day One," he said.

"It's a loose environment around here until we hit the floor. That's when all hell breaks loose. We're very competitive and what I love about Doc is he doesn't mind us being competitive as long as we don't go off on our own and practices become a Tropical Storm. He lets us be who we are. It does get testy and very competitive in here and he lets us go as long as we're getting something done."

TECH ISSUES:The NBA has instituted some extensive new rules for technical fouls that the Celtics clearly are not fond of. The good news? Rasheed Wallace is gone and Kendrick Perkins won't be able to play until after Jan. 1, at the earliest. Those two combined for the bulk of the team's techs a year ago.

"We're going to go for it this year," said Doc Rivers. "Last year we fell short of the technical record but we're going to go get it this year. You have to have a goal, right?"

BEST SCENE: Nate Robinson doing a suicide drill in Shaquille O'Neal's size 22 sneakers. "They're heavier than bricks...I'm a 10. I think I can put my shoes in his shoes. I think that's possible."

NUGGETS: Rivers refused comment on a report that his son, Austin, has verbally committed to play at Duke next season. Austin Rivers is regarded as one of the top 5 high school seniors in the country....URI head coach Jim Baron and assistants Kevin Clark and Preston Murphy were in attendance at practice. So was Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea, who's been here all week.