It was just supposed to be a preseason game. You know, let the starters go for a few minutes to stay sharp and then turn things over to the second unit guys, the rookies, and the roster hopefuls.

Well, things didn't exactly go that way when the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics squared off in Manchester on Saturday night.

Paul Pierce was originally slated to have the night off, but instead he convinced Celtics head coach Doc Rivers to let him run against Ron Artest. It was all kind of downhill from there. Pierce took a hard blow to the mouth as he tried to drive past Artest and was momentarily stunned and had to leave the game to get treatment on his bruised shoulder. Artest later bodied Ray Allen into the first row of fans . . .and things were just getting started. Here's an account of the next action-packed minutes from Jessica Camerato, formerly of HOOPSWORLD, who was courtside:

"As Bill Walker drove on Tracy McGrady, T-Mac appeared to push off on the rookie. Down at the basket, words were exchanged between Walker and Rafer Alston. The players were separated and order seemed to be restored. Seconds later, McGrady and Eddie House became engaged in a heated conversation. Just as Pierce, who had recently returned to the game, separated the players, Walker came back to get in a few last words, only to be held back by Luis Scola. McGrady and House were charged with technical fouls."

Read more from Jessica's blog here!

So, in case you're counting, McGrady, Pierce, House, and Walker will all be writing checks to the league for technicals they received in this one, and that's before we even talk about the outcome of the game.

Luis Scola not only gets credit for being the designated cool head in this game, he also gets the clutch player award . . .even though his clutch basket was mistakenly waived off. Gabe Pruitt hit the go-ahead basket for Boston with roughly six seconds left. After a play in which the ball went out of bounds, the Rockets were set to inbound with .4 on the clock. Luis Scola caught, shot, made the basket with one-tenth of a second to spare. . .only to have it waived off after a review of the instant replay. Final decision: 90-89 Boston.

Whew! It was a preseason game that was very much like a playoff game . . .perhaps a preview of things to come between these two teams. It's certainly an indication of what will be a much more physical Houston Rockets team with Ron Artest in the mix. Besides the four technicals, the officials also called 64 personal fouls - 36 on Boston, 28 on Houston.

Some other things we learned from this game:

1. Kendrick Perkins better get healthy soon, because Patrick O'Bryant won't get it done as a starter.

2. Carl Landry is a very talented young man, but when the Rockets go against the likes of Kevin Garnett it's really better if they start Luis Scola.

3. DJ Strawberry came into camp and preseason with a real opportunity to move ahead of Aaron Brooks in Houston's rotation, but he's not making the most of that opportunity. He saw 30 minutes of action tonight, scoring just two points to go with three turnovers and three fouls. Brooks had nine points and four assists in 24 minutes.

The Boston Celtics are back in action on Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh against the Cleveland Cavaliers . . .the Rockets will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in Tulsa on Monday night.