Foul night for Mozgov, Knicks in loss to Celtics

Timofey Mozgov officially was baptized as an NBA player Wednesday night, not because he got to trade elbows under the rim with his idol, Kevin Garnett, but because he got to share a place with him in the NBA's new penalty box during a 104-101 preseason game at the Garden.

Shortly after Garnett was ejected with 4:39 left in the second quarter for carrying too long of a conversation with referee Kane Fitzgerald, who nailed him with two technical fouls within seconds of each other, Mozgov got a technical foul for something he said to referee Kevin Fehr, who either understands Russian or the tone in Mozgov's deep voice.

But the Russian rookie says he wasn't even talking to Fehr.

"I didn't want to say nothing to the ref, you know?" Mozgov said. "So it was something, by myself, in Russian language."

Welcome to the new NBA, where the players are asked to be dynamic showmen, but Stepford-like when it comes to emotion (Yes, Rasheed Wallace's retirement was timely).

The league instituted new regulations this season and has ordered its officials to be strict in punishing players for demonstrative reactions and even extensive debate over foul calls. The whistles started after referee Zach Zarba hit Jermaine O'Neal with a technical for discussing a foul called against him with 4:39 left in the second.

When O'Neal first approached Zarba, the veteran official did motion for O'Neal to back away while he made the call. It was after O'Neal persisted that Zarba called the technical foul, even though O'Neal showed no emotion while making his case.

Garnett was on the other side of the court and had his own exchange with Fitzgerald, who quickly called the first technical. When Garnett laughed and continued to talk, Fitzgerald tossed him.

So Mozgov got to share the court with Garnett only for nine minutes, while he missed out entirely on his first experience playing against future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, who sat out the game with a hip injury.

On the same night Shaq declared the era of the big man over, the 7-1 Mozgov opened his Garden debut for the Knicks by hitting his first two shots - from the perimeter. Mozgov, who started at center, had five points and three rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes.

The Knicks were led by Amar'e Stoudemire, who had a dominant game with 30 points in 27:20. Mike D'Antoni decided to pull the plug on his most important player after three quarters rather than tempt fate by leaving Stoudemire in to finish a preseason game.

"We can't do that," said D'Antoni, who before the game said Stoudemire might sit out one of the remaining five preseason games. "He's been practicing extremely hard and we'll get him through this and make sure he's cool."

Doc Rivers took a different tack, as he left four starters - Jermaine O'Neal, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce - in the game for the duration. Pierce's jumper with eight seconds left broke a tie at 101. "They were having fun," Rivers said. "Paul said he wanted to stay in there . . . It's his birthday. It's my birthday, too."

Notes & quotes: Allen led the Celtics with 24 points and rookie Luke Harangody, a second-round pick, had 16 points and 12 rebounds . . . Bill Walker (11 points in 22 minutes) left the game with a sprained right ankle . . . Anthony Randolph played 19:30 and had nine points and six rebounds with five turnovers.