WALTHAM, Mass. -- Bostons Isaiah Thomas is feeling like a new man. A taller man.Im now listed at 6-1, the 5-foot-9 point guard joked when he sat down at Celtics media day on Monday. I grew a couple of inches this summer.While Thomas was speaking in jest, theres nothing at all fake about his excitement entering this season.The Celtics went into this past offseason focused on attracting the kind of star power to their roster that would help them move into the contender ranks of the Eastern Conference.They missed on Kevin Durant, but added veteran All-Star forward Al Horford to a young core that already includes Thomas -- a first time All-Star himself last season -- Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart.Its given coach Brad Stevens a lot to work with entering training camp as he tries to help Boston advance past the first round of the playoffs for first time since 2012.Were not asking Al to be any more than him, Stevens said. Hes a good fit for how we play on offense, hes good fit for how we play on defense...hes a guy that guys can follow by example. Its unfair to ask Al to be anything more than who he is.Who the Celtics have been the past two seasons is one of the surprise teams in the East. They improved from 25 wins in Stevens first season in 2013-14 to 40 and 48 wins the past two seasons, which both ended in playoff berths.Boston pushed the Atlanta Hawks to six games last season despite losing Bradley to a hamstring injury in Game 1 against the Hawks, seeing big man Kelly Olynyk aggravate a shoulder injury in the same game, and watching Crowder struggle throughout the series because of an ankle issue.Having a promising year derailed by that kind of bad luck has stuck with Thomas.All season thats all I thought about, Thomas said. Losing that series left a bad taste in all of our mouths. We want to get past that first round. I do, I know that. I want to win a playoff series. I want to go farther; we have a good enough team to make that happen.Gone are sixth man Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger, who both left in free agency. But the optimism and excitement surrounding Horford was palpable Tuesday. Not only for his ability to defend and be a big man who can stretch the floor, but for his anxiousness to see the Celtics return to a championship contender.His four-year, $113 million deal certainly carries with it some weighty burdens, but he said he isnt feeling any pressure because of it.In his very first trip to the Garden as a rookie in 2007, Horford recalled being mystified by Celtics championship banners hanging from the rafters.Youre very aware, Horford said. I couldnt stop looking at the banners up top. Maybe some guys feel differently, but I couldnt stop looking at them. Its something thats powerful. It leaves an impression on you.Team president Danny Ainge said he thinks Horford is joining a team that already has garnered the attention of other teams around the NBA.Were not going to be able to sneak up on anybody, Ainge said. I think that the team has earned a great deal of respect around the league the way they played last year, and the last couple of years. Thats a good thing. Thats progress. Thats where we want to be. We want our expectations to be higher. And learning to live up to those expectations is part of the grind.This month will be about integrating Horford into that foundation.Its a challenge Horford says hes eager to embrace.I have a good idea of the history of the Celtics, and of the passion of the people here. I know that its special, and thats part of the reason that Im here, he said. I want to be a part of that.Game notes Olynyk, who had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in May, is due to have his five-month evaluation on Oct. 15. But he has been cleared to do noncontact drills in the interim. Hopefully in the next three or four weeks, I can get out there and make something happen, Olynyk said. I just gotta make sure its strong enough to take the hit. ...Stevens said that he has had discussions with players and other team officials regarding the protest and demonstrations that have taken place during the national anthem in the NFL and other sports. Its been great to engage in those discussions. Its been really fun for me to hear about how excited our guys are about using their platforms to promote good things, Stevens said.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower Elite 49ers Jerseys . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. 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NEW YORK -- Thanks to injuries to two opponents, Novak Djokovic did not exactly need to put in much work to reach the U.S. Opens fourth round for the 10th consecutive year.So it made sense that the defending champion and No. 1 seed would spend extra time practicing in Arthur Ashe Stadium under the watchful eye of coach Boris Becker on Friday after spending a grand total of 31 minutes of match time on court over the second and third rounds.This particular situation I never had in my Grand Slam career. But considering the stage of the season, the amount of matches Ive played, what Ive been through with my body, I think its actually good to have some days off and then shorter matches, from one side, Djokovic said. From the other side, sure, as you are approaching second week of the Grand Slam, you want to have match play and you want to have time spent on the center court before you face one of the top players.Yes, Djokovic got another free pass at Flushing Meadows, advancing this time when Mikhail Youzhny stopped because of a strained left hamstring while trailing 4-2 after a little more than a half-hour of play.Youzhny received treatment from a trainer early on, getting his left leg wrapped, but briefly tried to continue. After holding serve in the sixth game, closing it with an overhead putaway up at the net, the Russian -- a semifinalist in New York in 2006 and 2010, and a former top-10 player now ranked 61st -- shook his head and told the chair umpire he couldnt keep going.Ill take it, Djokovic said. Im moving on and focusing on the next one.Djokovic did not play at all on Wednesday, when the man he was supposed to face in the second round, Jiri Vesely, withdrew from the tournament a couple of hours before that match because of inflammation in his left forearm.Theres plenty of things to work on. Thats the beauty of spport: Every day is different.dddddddddddd The challenge is every day you feel different on the court. I work more or less on every aspect of my game, Djokovic said.The first week of a Grand Slam, obviously, things are not 100 percent, so you are getting a way through the tournament. I didnt get too much of match play, Djokovic said. Ill try to get on the practice court once more.And that he did, changing out of his white collared match shirt into a gray T-shirt and getting in about an hour of training. As Becker stood nearby, tossing over tennis balls, Djokovic hit serve after serve. Then he hit return after return of serves from a practice partner.A few hundred fans remained in the stands at Ashe, enjoying that rare chance for an up-close look at a man who has won 12 Grand Slam titles, including two at the U.S. Open and two this year. Plenty of cellphone photos were taken.Djokovic arrived in New York with a sore left wrist. But in his first-round victory way back on Monday, he experienced problems with his right arm. He was massaged by a trainer after only five games, then repeatedly shook that arm or flexed his elbow and grimaced following serves, some of which were far slower than he usually hits. He also dropped a set in an opening-round Grand Slam match for the first time since 2010.The arm is doing very well. Everything ... is going in the right direction, Djokovic said Friday. I feel significantly better now than I (did) at the beginning of the tournament.On Sunday, maybe hell finally get a chance to test how he feels. 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