Jason Terry surprises Boston fans in asking their autographs, and Kevin Garnett hasn’t changed in 18 years (VIDEO)

As was the case when the larger than life Shaquille O'Neal joined the Boston Celtics in 2010 and proceeded to pull off a series of pranks from within the bustling Boston locale, the just as ebullient Jason Terry is playing up to reputation as the C's new resident goofball. From tough talk sent the way of his would be Finals contenders to a Celtic-themed championship trophy tattoo he had affixed to his arms two and a half months before the regular season sparked up, Terry is going all out to establish himself amongst the Celtic hierarchy.

And win over the Boston locals. And a Yankees fan, even. In a sponsored but goodhearted clip we found at Celtics Blog, JET bopped around Boston asking citizens (if not exactly fans … we didn't see a whole lot of green out there) for their autographs:

Kind of patronizing, I guess, but also kind of cute and exactly what we'd expect from Terry; who is personally one of my favorite NBA people. With the 2012 Red Sox disappointing badly and the Boston Bruins still locked out, the C's are going to still have to drive hard in order to pry eyes away from the New England Patriots this year. New blood, even if it is veteran blood, always helps. Terry is just the cat for the job.

Kevin Garnett, personally, has long been one of my favorite players — but you'd be hard-pressed to find a lot of fans of his actual personality throughout the league. Opponents and teammates respect the hell out of the certain Hall of Famer, there should be no doubt, but KG's prickly demeanor and win at all costs tactics sometimes wear on ex-teammates and opponents alike.

To hear reserve Boston Celtics center Jason Collins tell it, Garnett hasn't really changed his tone over the last two decades; heading all the way back to their battles against each other on the AAU circuit in 1994. From Jessica Camerato's feature at CSNNE:

"[Kevin was] the same way — intense, talking trash, playing hard," Collins told CSNNE.com. "He had 19 blocks in the game so he wasn't letting anything go. … [Paul] had the same style, all-around game. He was a scorer, just knocked down shots."

Collins' team, ARC, lost the game, but the matchup stayed with him throughout the rest of his high school career.

"That was my first time playing against a really good big man," the seven-foot center said. "Their team won the game, but I learned a lot because I was two years behind those guys and that helped me tremendously for stuff I needed to work on."

It kind of sheds new insight into Garnett's combined 50,600 career playoff and regular season minutes. Jason Collins, long regarded as the sagiest of sage veterans and potentially on the cusp of retirement himself, was two years behind Garnett in high school and entered the NBA six years after KG. And yet, 18 years removed, Garnett is still pulling the same tactics on his way toward shaping a game defensively.

Kind of makes you feel all warm, and expletive-laden inside.