That was only the first air ball he put up. He missed again on baseline shot that he threw over the other side of the rim while trying to get a shot off over Pau Gasol.

The rest of quarter, though, was pure Kirilenko: a where'd-he-come-from? block on Jason Williams' layup, a defensive rebound and a swat on Stromile Swift's attempt.

The crowd loved it. Sloan loved it. Most importantly, Kirilenko loved it. But there were also the expected problems. Kirilenko played a quiet seven minutes in the late third and early fourth quarters, as the long layoff began to take its toll.

"Yes, yes" said Kirilenko when asked if he was nervous. "No (butterflies) in the stomach, but I was nervous because you know, it's just two months rest, and right now, I'm finally on the floor. But right now I can't feel my shot at all. I feel like every shot I'm going to take will be air ball. That's just how I feel."

Still, he was enthusiastic.

Which has to count for something.

As reporters walked away from Kirilenko's locker, someone asked if he'd be ready to go tonight against Seattle.

"Definitely," he said. "Nothing's wrong."

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthusiasm."

Kirilenko doesn't know about worlds and movements. He may not even know about Emerson.

But he's back in the game and smiling. That alone speaks volumes.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com