Continued: Always-intense KG revved up for return

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This is the third season since the Timberwolves traded away Kevin Garnett to Boston.

When the Celtics arrived at Target Center on Wednesday night for their only visit this season, Wolves center Al Jefferson -- the most prized of five players acquired for Garnett -- considered the occasion and said, "It's old. Let's move on."

Really?

Boston coach Doc Rivers isn't so sure that's true for Garnett for a couple of reasons.

Garnett did spend 12 seasons here.

"It's human nature," Rivers said before Boston won 92-90. "He made his mark here. This will always be special for him. But I never ask, I never bring it up. I know not to run the first play for him because he'll shoot it over the glass, he gets so sky-high for any of these games."

"Any of these games" could have meant either of two annual games against the Wolves. It also could mean, well, any game.

"I don't know if you can tell sometimes if it's a bigger game or not," Rivers said. "He is the most intense person I've been around in my life."

Garnett had 12 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday.

Love on the mend

Wolves forward Kevin Love's had the stitches from his surgically repaired left hand removed at halftime Wednesday. He is scheduled to have that hand X-rayed again two weeks from Friday and is hopeful he will be cleared to return to practice if the film shows the hand has healed sufficiently.

That would be about Nov. 20. That also would be significantly ahead of the six-to-eight weeks estimation when he broke the hand in a preseason game at Chicago on Oct. 16.

"Hoping," he said, crossing two fingers on his unbroken right hand.

Moving on up

Jefferson has scored 18 or more points in the past three games -- he had 18 on Wednesday -- after scoring 21 combined in the season's first two games.

"I'm starting to get my rhythm," Jefferson said. "I got a long way to go, as far as getting back into game-speed shape. I've got some ways to go. It's only the fifth game tonight."

"Shooting" guard

Corey Brewer has the kind of career average that contradicts the name of his position, shooting guard.

So why did he take 21 shots in Monday's loss at the L.A., and 18 the game before that? By comparison, Wednesday's 16 attempts were a slow night. Somebody asked Wolves coach Kurt Rambis if he approved of Brewer shooting that much.

"Most of them, yeah," he said. "Sometimes, I disagreed with the shot, but I don't want to take away his aggressive nature."

Doc on Brewer

Rivers called Corey Brewer "one of my favorite players of theirs. It's good to see him back. He's a lot like [James] Posey was for us a couple of years ago and a lot like Marquis [Daniels] is now. He does so many of the little things. He's a winner. You can see that in the way he plays."

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