Nenad Krstic Stops Thinking, Starts Playing in Return From Knee Injury Against Sixers

Besides the bone bruise in his right knee that had kept him out of two games over the weekend, Nenad Krstic had one other problem going into Tuesday's game against the visiting Sixers — he was thinking too much.

"You know what I say," coach Doc Rivers said. "Thinking hurts the team."

Actually, that's not Doc's line — he stole it from Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham." But in any event, it's a good point. Krstic's greatest weakness during his first weeks as a Celtic is his hesitance to be physical. He's spent too much time analyzing his role in the game, and not enough time seizing the moment and actually playing.

But on Tuesday night, playing his first game after recovering from the knee injury, Krstic set aside those mental roadblocks and played inspired ball. He came off the bench to give the Celtics eight points and six rebounds in 18 minutes, showing no signs of rust after a week away.

"I liked Krstic early on being aggressive," Rivers said after Tuesday's win. "That's what we're trying to get him back to doing. I just thought he played with instinct. He's starting to get our stuff a little bit, too."

Rivers referred to Krstic's play before the injury as "paralysis by analysis." The big man showed flashes of stellar productivity during his first couple weeks, averaging 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds over his first eight games. He had several monster first quarters reminiscent of Shaquille O'Neal. But as the weeks wore on and he got deeper into Rivers' playbook, he became over-analytical with his play, and the production slowed. He hit rock bottom with a scoreless 27 minutes in New Orleans on March 18.

But after a week away, Krstic is now back and refreshed.

"It was good," Krstic said. "I was thinking a lot before the game, but once I stepped on the court, I forgot about it and just played.

"I was just trying to run the floor and just get some easy layups or something, just to get me going a bit. Tonight was good."

It's unclear what role Krstic will have with the Celtics in the long run. With Jermaine O'Neal — and perhaps eventually Shaq as well — healthy and producing in the postseason, Krstic will see fewer minutes and fewer touches in time. But he's beginning to prove that no matter what role he gets, he'll handle it well.

"He'll be ready," Rivers said. "He's already proven it in Oklahoma — he played five minutes, he played 20 minutes, he was always ready to come in."

That's just what the Celtics need.