Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
Tonight's game between the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves will be a reunion of sorts for many of the players on both sides.
Former Celtics Antoine Walker, Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, and Theo Ratliff are making their first return to Boston with the T-Wolves. Jefferson, Gomes, Green, Ratliff, and Telfair were all traded for Kevin Garnett in July.
Third-year forward and former Celtics second round draft pick Ryan Gomes, a Providene College graduate and a New England native, has as much reason as any of the former Celtics to be anxiously awaiting his return.
The native of Waterbury, Connecticut, is playing his first game as a pro in Boston as a member of the visiting team.
“I’m very excited,” Gomes said about coming back to Boston. “I’ve got a lot of family and friends that I met out here and family that’s coming from Connecticut so it’s going to be special to see them, but for the game you got to go out there and play like its another game.”
The 6-foot-7 250 pound Providence College product averaged 12.1 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Celtics last year, while playing in 73 games (60 starts).
So far this season he has been putting up similar numbers in Minnesota (11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds) though he has had some big performances of late.
Gomes dropped in a career-high 35 points on the road against Golden State on Monday.
“It’s an intense game an emotional game,” Gomes said of tonight‘s meeting with the Celtics. “ They got the player that they wanted and we’re on the team that they put us on. Everything is working out, I think for both parts. We’re not winning as many games as we would like to, but we’re on a winning streak right now and hopefully we can keep it going.”