BOSTON — The Boston Celtics’ new highlight video isn’t a collection ofgreat plays from their NBA-record 16 championships.

Not a series of clips from their more recent, forgettable seasons, either.

Instead, the theme was “a very eventful offseason,” with scenes from thenews conferences and photo opportunities where Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — andScot Pollard and Eddie House — were brought in to turn around the saggingfortunes of the once-proud franchise.

And it’s just what crowd wanted to see.

The Celtics brought the New Big Three to the New Boston Garden on Wednesdaynight, introducing Garnett and Allen — and those other guys, too — to the homecrowd for the first time in an otherwise meaningless exhibition game against theNew York Knicks. In a deafening introduction and a first-quarter run that helpedBoston open a double-digit lead, the change was immediate.

After a traveling call on his first home possession, Garnett brought thecrowd to its feet three minutes into the game with a behind-the-back pass toRajon Rondo under the basket. The 10-time All-Star drained a 20-footer from theright of the circle midway through the first and hit another two baskets beforethe quarter was over.

He also set picks for his new teammates and created a minor scare when helanded on Kendrick Perkins’ ankle with 3:30 left in the first, but stayed in thegame, playing 11 minutes, 57.4 seconds of the 12-minute first quarter. On thebench, he went over plays with his new teammates, using hand motions to showthem the proper position.

Garnett had nine points and seven rebounds at the half, Pierce scored 14points and Allen 10.

Although the building was about half-full for the exhibition home opener — the Celtics opened with games in Rome and London — Boston has sold out most ofits home games this season.

And Garnett and Allen are the main reasons why.

After going 24-58 last season and missing the playoffs for the secondconsecutive season, the Celtics traded for seven-time All-Star Allen at thedraft and then pulled off an unprecedented 7-for-1 trade with the MinnesotaTimberwolves for Garnett, the 2004 NBA MVP.

Along with Paul Pierce, the New Big Three has Celtics fans excited for thefirst time since the original Big Three won the last of Boston’s 16 NBA titlesin 1986.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers pretended to be taken aback when he found the full,regular-season complement of reporters waiting to talk to him outside the lockerroom before the game.

“What are all you guys here for?” he asked with mock surprise. “It’s anexhibition game, guys.”

But the coach admitted that the excitement might even be creeping into thelocker room.

“I don’t know about tonight, but I hope there’s excitement,” Rivers said.”There should be.”

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