He seems like the same guy to Doc Rivers.

“He’s normal again,” the Celtics coach said of Kevin Garnett.

Well, there is one change.

“He’s happy, he’s talking more, which I didn’t think was possible,” Rivers said following the USI Shamrock Classic at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord. “He’s got his quickness back and he just looks normal again.”

Talking more?

Over the last 14 years, Garnett has developed a reputation as one of the most vocal players in the league. This offseason his words have a different message.

Garnett has been joining his teammates at the Sports Authority Training Center in Waltham as they prepare for training camp. Even though the Celtics forward, who is coming off season-ending knee surgery, has not been cleared for contact drills, he has found his own way to participate during workouts.

“His presence has been felt. He has been talking more, but you don’t know when he starts playing, maybe he’ll talk less,” Brian Scalabrine said with a laugh. “But he has been leading us in a very instructional kind of way. Before he was like that, but now, like he pulled me aside the other day. He was like, ‘You know, you have to play the game within the game. If you’re trying to get something done later, you want to set it up with something early.’

“And it helps. I went out there and I did it, and it worked right away. He’s a really intelligent guy.”

Brian Scalabrine understands the importance of a strong campaign. Over the last few years fans have lobbied on Facebook to vote the Celtics forward to the All-Star team. Although Scalabrine never won the vote, he thinks he has a good eye for a deserving candidate.

On Thursday Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca announced his candidacy in the special election for the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s vacant seat, and Scalabrine is already on board.

“I back him 100 percent,” Scalabrine said following the USI Shamrock Classic at the Nashawtuc Country Club inn Concord. “I feel like he’s the kind of guy that’s going to go out there and get things done. From a position in the state of Massachusetts right now, that’s what you’re going to want — people that are going to get things done.”

Scalabrine has experienced Pagliuca’s accomplishments firsthand. He is among a group of Celtics who won an NBA championship following a 24-win season the previous year. The organization’s instant turnaround is just one reason why Scalabrine believes Pagliuca can achieve positive change.

“[He got] Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on the same team. You think that stuff’s easy to do? No. To do that you have to be thoughtful, ahead of your time, and that’s him,” Scalabrine said. “Obviously he’s not the only guy, but if you’re a Senator you’re not the only guy making decisions, you’ve got people working underneath you. And how about just the ability to buy the Celtics? How about that? I mean to have that ability to do that, that’s something special in itself.”

Less than an hour after Pagliuca announced his candidacy, Scalabrine already had a campaign in mind.

“I got a sign going in my front yard. For sure,” he said. “It’s big, big like a billboard. It says like this: ‘Pags for Senator. My name is Brian Scalabrine and I approve this message,’ and it can have my face on it.”

This summer the Celtics organization has spent countless hours improving its team for the upcoming NBA season. Meanwhile many of its players have dedicated their time to improving the Boston community.

Last week Bill Walker spent the afternoon at the Reebok Youth Basketball Camp, held at Basketball City in Boston, to talk about the importance of hard work on and off the court. Walker served as spokesperson for the six-week camp, which was also held at the Celtics training facility in Waltham and their 2008 training camp facility at Salve Regina University.

Walker hooped it up at the Reebok Youth Basketball Camp in Boston

This month Eddie House and Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell dedicated a renovated basketball court to the Carter family of Waltham, winners of the RE/MAX of New England Home Court Program contest. The family also received a Celtics-themed bedroom makeover. House and Maxwell conducted a free basketball clinic for 100 children at the Waltham Boys & Girls Club following the dedication.

House and Maxwell dedicated a renovated court in Waltham

Walker, Lester Hudson, and J.R. Giddens teamed up with a group of 20 volunteers to help 400 families in need at the Feed the Children Event in Mattapan earlier this month. Together they handed out $45,000 worth of non-perishable food items and personal items at the Mildred Avenue School and Community Center. Walker and Hudson also signed autographs and took photos with the families.

Walker and Hudson helped unload 1,200 boxes at the Feed the Children event

Brian Scalabrine and Walker toured Washington D.C. in June with a group of students from the Harbor Middle School in Dorchester, winners of the tenth annual ASSISTS Community Service Contest. Contest creators Southwest Airlines and the Celtics flew the students for the field trip, where they toured other monuments and attractions in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area.

Scalabrine and Walker spent the day touring Washington, D.C.

(Photos courtesy of the Boston Celtics)

Draft Night may have seemed quiet for the Celtics, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t trying to make moves behind the scenes. After last Thursday’s draft Celtics GM Danny Ainge said the Celtics had conversations about landing a higher pick in the second round. According to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, some of those conversations centered around the Grizzlies:

Boston tried to entice the Grizzlies twice. The Celtics offered Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen and a choice of J.R. Giddens or Bill Walker for the Grizzlies’ 36th pick and cash considerations.

The Celtics’ best offer for the Grizzlies’ No. 2 pick only included center Kendrick Perkins.

The Grizzlies kept their pick and selected forward Sam Young from Pittsburgh. The Celtics used their only pick (58th) to draft guard Lester Young from University of Tennessee-Martin.

Walker took a field trip with contest winners

Last year the Boston Celtics were recognized at the White House for winning the NBA championship. This summer two of the Cs returned to Washington D.C., this time to recognize a group of students from the Harbor Middle School in Dorchester for their community service.

On Monday Celtics forwards Brian Scalabrine and Bill Walker toured the nation’s Capitol with approximately 15 students as part of the tenth annual ASSISTS Community Service Contest. Contest creators Southwest Airlines and the Boston Celtics flew the students for a field trip which also included a tour of other monuments and attractions in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area.

Scalabrine and Stephon Marbury teamed up with students from the Harbor Middle School in April to paint a mural for the 5th annual Southwest Airlines ASSISTS Clean-Up Day. The ASSISTS Community Service Contest was open to all eighth-grade students in the Boston Public Middle Schools.

Following a 101-82 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 7 Sunday night, Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine said the Celtics missed Kevin Garnett in the playoffs. “(We missed him) a ton and I noticed it this year in the postseason more than the regular season because he’s so intelligent defensively,” Scalabrine said. “He is a special basketball player and you see it now. We’re going home and he’s sitting over there in a suit and you’re thinking what could’ve been.”

About an hour before Game 5 was set to tip off Brian Scalabrine was out on the floor shooters jumpers, which is his regular pregame routine. That was a welcome development for the Celtics after Scalabrine missed this morning’s practice with the flu, but he is feeling better and he will play tonight.

“He’s feeling lighter,” Doc Rivers joked. “No, he’s feeling better. He really is. He’s been able to hold food down for the last couple of hours so that’s good.”

Rivers was then asked if Scal’s condition would cause him to change his regular substitution pattern.

“No. We’re just going to play him,” he said. “Obviously if he’s out there and you see that he’s struggling we’ll react. Athletes have that ability at times. You just don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

As for Kendrick Perkins, there isn’t much of an update. His shoulder is sore, but he’s going to play. “His injury is what is,” Rivers said. “It’s not going to improve. He’s going to play with it. He has to. We need him.”

Other pregame miscellany

The mood in the Celtics locker room was business like. A few players checked in but no one made themselves available.

Doc on Game 5′s: “Obviously they’re big but you can recover from them. I’ve always thought people had it wrong–that it’s a must-win for the road team. I’ve always thought it’s a bigger game for the home team because if the home team loses you have to go to a close-out game on the road.”

On the rotation: “Right now I like our rotation, so we’re going to stay with that. It’s a small rotation but I like it and it’s gotten us where we’re at. If we need other guys, they’ll be ready.” That would seem to leave Tony Allen out for now, along with Bill Walker and Gabe Pruitt.