Celtics Central

The Celticsblog running recap on the first game of the preseason for the Celtics is here.

Here is a portion of the second half observations…

Thoughts after watching the 2nd half:

• The starters as a whole unit came out kind of flat in the 3rd quarter. They gave up a ten point 1st half lead within the first six minutes of the 3rd quarter.
• Garnett looked strong again in the 2nd half. He was never limping or showed any signs of fatigue. He had a great pass to Ray Allen cutting to the hoop as well.
• Rondo never seemed right all game. Brooks absolutely got the better of him for most of the time they were on eachother. Wouldn’t say it’s anything to worry about though after one pre-season game.
• Impressive performance by Marquis Daniels tonight. He saw the floor very well, and found the open man. Him and House were very capable at the guard positions tonight.

Mike Sweetney led the Celtics with 10 points in a game that Doc said everyone would play..and he certainly kept his word.

Glen Davis, rookie guard Lester Hudson, and Eddie House  all had 9 points each.

The biggest news is that Kevin Garnett started and played over 13 minutes in his first live action since his surgery. He scored 6 points had 5 rebounds, and added two steals.

I’ll be back later to add a few more thoughts. Enjoy!

The Celtics Start Melding in New Pieces Tonight. Welcome to the 2009-10 NBA season.

Tonight the Celtics open the exhibition season by playing the Houston Rockets in Hidalgo, Texas at 7:30 pm.

Doc starts to add his new toys, Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, in this game. After thinking it over and listening to Doc, getting Rasheed Wallace comfortable on the court as a bench player and playing at a high level will be job one….of course after any starter concerns that is, meaning Kevin Garnett. It may mean experimenting around a bit.

Doc will play the first quarter pretty much with the starters according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald….

“Everybody will play. We don’t know how many minutes yet. We haven’t even gotten into that as a staff. The first quarter we’ll play almost traditional minutes. The tough thing about preseason games is you don’t know who the other team is going to play, so you have to be careful with who they have on the floor, as well.”

Getting a rhythm coming off the bench for Wallace will be the preseason goal. It will take a little time before something consistent is established. Marquis Daniels will be tried at a few positions as well.

Bulpett/Herald….

“I’m interested to see how Marquis handles the point with the second unit and what other teams do,” Rivers said. “If they keep the 3 (small forward) on him then there’s no cause to worry.

“I wouldn’t be shocked to see some teams actually put their point on Marquis and try to pressure him up the floor. If they do that, we’re going to post Marquis. That would put the ball back in Eddie (House’s) hands, but then Eddie has the 3 on him and he won’t have any pressure. So that’s what will be interesting, to see how teams play that lineup.” . . .

This will be Kevin Garnett’s first live game action since his surgery so Doc will watch him closely, I’m sure.

The Houston Rockets will be a team with a new look without Yao Ming (injury) and Ron Artest (signed by Lakers).  Houston is coming off a preseason win over the Spurs last night,99-85.

With Yao Ming out Luis Scola will see a lot of time at center, while new comer, (and former Laker champion) Trevor Ariza will try to take up the slack of the departure of Ron Artest. Aaron Brooks once again runs point, with Kyle Lowry backing him up. Forward Carl Landry had a big game off the bench last night with 19 points in 25 minutes. Second rounders (SF) Chase Budinger, who had 15 points in his NBA opener and (G) Jermaine Taylor (6 pts.) both hope to make the team.

Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier did not play in the Rocket’s opener. Houston will struggle this season as they try to find a winning formula playing an uptempo game. Uptempo is a Rick Adleman trade mark, though he did a terrific job of going defensive and half court with the Rocket roster last season.

The Celtics get to uncork some pent up frustration from last season’s finish. With a healthy team they would have had a great opportunity to defend their title. They seem ready to take off and make up for a season considered lost because Garnett was out injured for the playoffs, ending their dreams of two in a row.

All Celtics are healthy except Bill Walker who is recovering from minor surgery and should be ready in 6 weeks, and Tony Allen, who is listed as day-to-day with a sore ankle due to recovering from June surgery. Tony will not play tonight, according to Greg Dickerson of csnne.com

I’ll bring you the results and highlights.

Here is the next in the series of NBA team previews by bloggers around the league.

Dallas Mavericks NBA Mate
2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

The three-headed forward line of  Nowitzki-Howard-Marion gives the Mavericks a heap of fire power, flexibility, and the potential to cause a lot of match up nightmares. The challenge is obviously going to be fitting all their minutes in, and I suspect they’ll do this by sliding Josh to the two-guard a lot more. I also expect the Mavericks transition game to pick up in leaps and bounds. Marion still loves to run the floor and gets a lot of his points on opportunistic plays, and Jason Kidd, while old, can still run the floor with the best of them. I’ve read some stuff saying the Mavs are too old, and while some of their key players …..

The two man game

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

Overall offense. What more would you expect when you toss one of the greatest distributors the league has ever seen, one of the most potent shooters on the planet, and a handful of high-production/low-turnover players into a blender? Mmm…that’s one offensively efficient smoothie.

Mavsmoneyball.com

3.What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

This team while being more athletic still has their issues; first and foremost defensive rebounding is a big area of concern. If the Mavericks cannot get better at keeping their opponent to one shot, this could singlehandedly crush their hopes of making a deep playoff push. This teams other glaring weakness is their perimeter defense. They must get better defensive guard play from Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry specifically. Both of these guys do great things for this team on the offensive end but they need to step up to the challenge on the defensive end.

Roster flexibility. The Mavs are blessed with all kinds of options. Against bigger teams with more traditional post threats, the Mavs can use a big lineup of Kidd-Howard-Marion-Dirk-Damp. When in need of more offense, they can sub out Damp for Gooden, or play…..

Here’s the full list of Atlantic Division Previews.

Boston Celtics

CelticsBlog | LOY’s Place | Celtics17 | Red’s Army | Hoops Addict | Celtics Central | Celtics Hub | Gino’s Jungle

New Jersey Nets

Slippery When Nets | Barkley’s Mouth

New York Knicks

Posting and Toasting | Bandwagon Knick

Philadelphia 76ers

Liberty Ballers

Toronto Raptors

RaptorsHQ.com | Hoops Addict

Bonus Links

See full schedule here | Also see SBNation preview storystream

We’ll keep them coming as they get put up.

Continuing the NBA full throttle previews:

Here are two blogger previews on the New York Knicks…

Posting and Toasting

Here’s a portion…

What are the Knicks’ biggest strengths?
The Knicks should thrive on their versatility. There are few pure position players on the roster, with a number of guys who can play and guard multiple positions. Expect Mike D’Antoni to use this to his advantage, as he’s already brought up the notion of a 6’8”-and-over lineup (with Danilo Gallinari running the point), and experimented with a number of unorthodox lineups throughout training camp. Don’t be surprised to see a unit with a 6’10” shooting guard and a 6’8” center at some point this season. D’Antoni’s got the tools to create mismatches aplenty on offense, and adjust to mismatches on D.

Also, the fact that like half the guys on the team have expiring deals could cause a cosmic alignment of contract years that somehow catapults the Knicks into the playoffs. Stop laughing.

and

BandwagonKnick

What are the Knicks’ biggest strengths?The Knick coaching staff and its 7 seconds or less offense-first system (which excels at providing roles for players of varying abilities) remains the team’s biggest strength.  The system made the Knicks second in the league in Pace last season, though offensive efficiency was middling (17th last season). When the team wasn’t disrupted by trades or injuries, it was surprisingly competitive with even elite teams on most nights.

As far as individual players go, Danilo Gallinari, last year’s first round pick, returns at full strength, and reports from training camp at this early date are gushing.

Read both entirely and gain wisdom grasshopper. (I have no idea why I said that.)

Actually check out the predicted records by both bloggers. I’m always curious to see how die hard followers see their teams

In one of life’s ironies, a man whose nickname is Sugar Ray is fighting against diabetes. Not in his own body. His son’s.

Walter Ray Allen, former UConn Husky, current Boston Celtic, and 9 time all star who needs just 339 points to reach 20,000 for his career, is taking that fight ‘to the tweets’.

Ray, whose jump shot has been called the sweetest in the game, has to make sure his son has sugar-free sweets.

Ray Allen’s shot has brought joy and wealth. Walker Allen’s shots guarantee joy and health… for life for the 31 month old.

It all started after Ray and his family arrived in Los Angeles for game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Ray’s son was taken to the hospital before the Game 5, the year the Celtics won title #17.

Bostonchannel.com…

“He threw up and we thought he was just jet lagged,” said Allen, of his (17)-month-old son Walker, “because it was a long flight and you know, maybe he had the flu.”

But doctors in Los Angeles, where the Celtics were playing the Lakers, determined it was something much more serious than the flu.

“When she said, he has diabetes, my heart sunk,” said Allen.

That diagnosis came the same morning as Allen and his teammates were to play game number five of the NBA Championship series.

Ray played the game and rushed to the hospital right after to check on his recovering son. The quick diagnosis helped get things under control. He is fine now.

Bostonchannel.com again…

“From the moment he wakes up in the morning until he goes to bed at night, we have to monitor every single thing that goes into his mouth,” said Shannon. “We have to test him 10 times a day. And then we adjust him with actual insulin injections. On an average day, he could go between three to five insulin injections, to being pricked 10 times a day.”

Ray Allen – special player. Special person.

Every basketball player is committed to his sport. But not every player is as interested in the world beyond that world. The world is no bigger than a round orange ball for many.

Ray Allen was already a player who had a life beyond the game that made him so wealthy. Of all the Celtics, he seems to be the most well read. There are always books in his locker. In one pre-season event a year ago, Eddie House did his imitation of a ‘professorial’ Ray Allen asking questions.

It was Ray that organized a team trip to the Holocaust Museum on one trip to Washington D.C. Ray? He’s been to the museum five times. Five….times. I wouldn’t go to an amusement park that much, let alone such a gravely serious museum.

On this training camp trip to Rhode Island, Ray attended the burial spot for slaves and free Africans in Newport. Ray is inquisitive and a learner. I don’t know how he deals with people privately, but it doesn’t seem as if his star status, wealth, and privileged position in life have gone to his head.

Of the Big Three, he grants the most time to all reporters before and after games. He will patiently answer all questions and tries to give a thoughtful response each time. Many star players don’t have that kind of consideration or patience for answering 5 versions of the same question every night.

Considered one of the most committed and disciplined players in the game, Ray is known for a bit of obsessiveness in maintaining his habits and routines. But he clearly will have an interesting life beyond the game. He wants to use the unique visibility that fame has brought him to fight diabetes, the condition that now has such a big place in his family’s life.

Certain players just seem like they are about more than the game. Just by talking to them and hearing what they say, you can tell they will be active in the world after their playing days end. There are the Dave Bings, Bill Bradleys, Jack Kemps, Jim Bunnings and Magic Johnsons of the world.

Ray Allen is one of them. I could see him taking up politics, or putting on a business suit and running a corporation, or ‘amping up’ the effectiveness of his own foundation. Hey, maybe he can take ‘basketball diplomacy’ to new level.

The Twitter Phenomena, Ray, Diabetes, and Ray’s Rules

Ray has really taken to twitter, the new technology and networking ‘next big thing’ for a few reasons. But he wasn’t enamored of it initially. I asked him about it at the Celtics training camp at Salve Regina recently.

You have kind of embraced twitter. And you’ve used that to make contact with your fans. What was some of the thinking on that for you?

“At first, I didn’t really care for it, because I didn’t understand it. A lot of it is…. self promotion, if you will.

I have a foundation that happens to have a cause. My son has diabetes.

What I found out like, I was talking with a couple of people that work with me, and they asked me about twitter. (They asked) ‘Have I been on it or have I thought about it? If not, I don’t understand it. It is probably good for you because you can put the word out when you’re doing events. Get people to donate. You could raise awareness.’

So, it’s been pretty interesting because, for the most part…I just got a twitter account maybe in July.

You know, people are so responsive…anything that you say… obviously (I’m) going to talk about my job and what I do, but I’m more on the level of trying to inspire. And tomorrow’s (this past Saturday) the walk-a–thon for diabetes in Boston and my son and my camp is participating so yesterday I tried to direct as many people as I can to go to the website and donate money on behalf of my son and our team.

The irony of his nickname comes into play when he tweets for the fight against diabetes. His twitter account is sugarray20 (twitter.com/sugarray20). Maybe he should get a sugar-free-ray account.

Here is his tweet about the Walk for Walker…

we call it our walk for walker..i would love it if you all went to www.jdrf.org. and donated to our walk for walker..diabetes is an epidemic

back to interview…

And so many people responded and retweeted and you know so many other people that have diabetes were a part of it so it is a powerful, powerful vehicle to move the word.

If I have a word… you know my world is not right here about basketball… you guys see me every day from newspapers to watching practice to games to highlights like…what do you need to know about me on the basketball court? There’s not much that you don’t know, but we have other (interests) besides athletics, (which) is what we do. So I think that is what the medium is for and you’ve got to use it responsibly.

You are like your own media, your own PR.

Yeah, I’m going to give my media here what they need in regards to our team and what we think and…when I go home I don’t want to be interviewed. You know, you get on twitter and people want to interview you about…how was practice today? Or…How is the team looking?…I don’t want to…I don’t answer those questions.

But you do respond to some people.

Yes, I do. I do respond if they ask questions about… if they’re good questions like… How many shots a day do you shoot to get you ready for the season? You know, things like that where I know I can help people improve themselves.

If people want to know questions like…How is KG doing? I’m not going to answer that. Some people are naturally inquisitive and you can tell that they want to know more. They’re not just throwing questions out there because they have my ear, because they are on twitter and they know I’m there.

One occasional drawback to twitter is imposters and poseurs. Right now there is someone out there with an account called ray_allen20. From the real Ray Allen’s twitter account…

i want everyone out there to know that ray_allen20 is an impostor..hes copying everything i say..people please blow his spot up

It’s one of a problems you encounter with public accounts. The same thing happened with Glen Davis earlier in the summer. Be alert and be sure you are talking to who you think you are. But I digress…

Ray has embraced excellence in his profession, commitment to a cause because of his son’s experience, and the world itself.

Tweet him up with a sincere question. He just might tweet you back.

Ray Allen: Tough Decisions for Doc. Good Players May Sit.
Doc Rivers: No title without true ubuntu.

A couple of tough themes are emerging from training camp. Minutes can be an explosive issue. Sticking to the game plan is critical to success. It isn’t easy to do with major talent on a team.

Doc Rivers:

We’re deep….. It’s when you start divvying out those minutes, when you start divvying out the sets, who gets the ball more, that’s when you start….your team’s tested

Ray Allen:

Sometimes you have to make a decision who not to play and it’s a good player who not might not be playing, who could (sit).

Brian Scalabrine…

The hardest thing in the NBA, by far, is to have guys do less to get more out of them. It is very, very, very difficult to do…

Dear Beantown Ballers,

Hang your personal agendas on that coat rack in the doorway and leave them there until the 2009-10 playoffs end. You can walk out as NBA Champions. If not, you can walk out as losers. Chumps. I’m not saying that. Doc is.

Ray Allen…

The toughest (thing)  for a coach on a team that is so deep, I mean it’s…somewhat of a no brainer situation, ‘cause you know who your players are, what they can do, but at the same time, is like you’ve got to manage minutes. You know you have a roster where you can play everybody. Sometimes you have to make a decision who not to play and it’s a good player who not might not be playing, who could.

You can benefit from them playing but you’re winning games so …sometimes it can be difficult for a coach, you just hope to have guys that are responsible, that are mature that know they just want to win and that’s the ultimate objective.

Doc enlarged on the idea as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald laid it out here. There might have been some personal agendas in play last season. The message boards will light up with guesses, conjectures, and finger pointing. I have my own ideas. Yesterday is done. It doesn’t matter now. Only this year matters. That they got as far as they did with the injuries they absorbed is a testament to their fight, if not their selflessness. But that was last year.

Doc….

Let’s be honest. I think we have enough talent to win a world championship. I really believe that.
And it comes down with all the teams at that level, to how well they play together. You know, if we get that right, if they’re willing, they want to get that right, we have a shot at it.

And if we don’t get that right, we’ll win a lot of games, and then go home and be upset. I don’t think there’s any trick to that. The first part is the ‘want to’, and I think we have that so far. We haven’t played a game yet, so everybody ‘wants to’ in training camp.

(Not so) Hidden Clues?

Will everyone ‘want to’ by playoff time? It’s an amazing coincidence that I decided to get my writer’s ‘mind set’ on while driving up to Newport RI (2.5 hours) to watch my first practice by listening to the last interviews on my digital recorder from last season. A Brian Scalabrine soliloquy from the Orlando series hit on those very topics. It was uncanny. Really. Let’s check with Brian Scalabrine at playoff time last year….

Doc does a good job of making guys play up to their potential.

From the first meeting at shoot around from Doc (Rivers) and Tom (Thibodeau) and Armond (Hill)…

What we need to do is this, this, and that. And every time we do this, this, and that, we’re successful. When we’re not doing those things, it’s been very, very tough for us.

When we do what they want us to do we are extremely successful. We just have to stick to our game plan and take care of business.

The hardest thing in the NBA, by far, is to have guys do less to get more out of them. It is very, very, very difficult to do from the manager’s perspective – coaching or managing – it’s what those guys do best. We have guys…. everyone on this team makes sacrifices, from Paul to me or whoever, everyone makes sacrifices to the greater good or each other.

Yes, that was three ‘verys’. Not a typo. Players get paid on personal stats, not team wins. Contracts are coming up.

When did Brian say this? This season, with the talk of personal agendas, right? Wrong. It was at the end of last season.

Then it must have been after a loss, right? Wrong again. It was after the Celtics beat the Magic to go up 3-2 in the their playoff series.

How prescient was Brian? It is far more telling now. As an insider, he observed what we never guessed. There was an inkling of it, even early on, during their incredible winning streak. But it was considered simply an effort and execution issue.

That they played hard is without question. But what is emerging now, a year later, is that the degree of sacrifice to the team concept may not have been consistently at a high level. It is one of those interesting nuances of team sports and can be readily understood, even by us normal people. Anyone who has ever worked anywhere as part of a team with a common goal knows what Ray, Doc and Brian are talking about.

That it happens discreetly in front of an intently watching audience of thousands, even millions, increases the drama and subtlety of dissipation of team focus. We could see that the team played hard. But did it play together? The coaches know what we don’t. Teammates know what we don’t. Player’s families and friends might know. We can only review things in our minds that might fit that recent admission and….. guess.

It is a new year and time is ticking on the clock for a lot of very talented but aging players. According to Wyc Grousbeck, Kevin Garnett told Rasheed that this team has the potential to be one of ‘best teams in league history’, if he joined them.

Will they be willing to do ‘less to be more’ as Brian puts it? Or will they go home with a lot of wins and upset as Doc lays it on the line for them? The choice is theirs.

We in Boston are expecting a title. But there are four other highly talented teams thinking the exact same thing. Nothing less than a ‘team first’ commitment gives them the chance to get it done.

Get ready for a great 82 game show of just incredible talent and team work at its best. When this team commits to each other, it is downright scary. When it doesn’t, it will still get a lot of wins.

Hey everyone. This preview is part of a coordinated effort by Jeff Clark of Celtics blog.com every year to connect the NBA blogging community and get a chance to see what the die hards have to say about their teams. Today is Celtic day. Other Celtic previews are linked at the bottom. Enjoy.

Team Name: Boston Celtics
Last Year’s Record: 62-20
Key Losses: Leon Powe
Key Additions: Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels

1) What significant moves were made in the offseason?

Getting Rasheed Wallace right out of the free agent gate was the big one. Right after last year’s playoff exit, the Big Three and the Celtic Brain trust got together to decide what was needed most for this season. They all agreed that getting Wallace was number one. Done.

The moody, cantankerous on court tech machine also happens to play some outstanding basketball. Maybe not the player he was a few years ago, Sheed can still play the game at a very high level. Along with his friend and new teammate, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed is one of the toughest competitors in the game. Knowing that the Celtics have Wallace coming off the bench this season and available to start at PF or C in case of injury, takes a load of stress off Doc Rivers and the team. The acquisition was huge. The Celtics now have a top interior defender and shot blocker, who can score from anywhere on the floor.

Next was getting some support for Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Grant Hill returned to the Suns and interest in Jamario Moon went unrequited when Moon signed with Cleveland. Enter Marquis Daniels, in a surprise move. Doc and Danny have admired his game for a while. His versatility will allow him to bring the ball up, and spell both Ray and Paul. His herky jerky mid range game is a perfect fit. If he can effectively guard Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo and the likes for about 10-12 minutes a game, a major playoff concern will be solved.

Re-signing Glen Davis gives them serious depth in the frontlines and adding Shelden Williams was a prudent, but solid defensive addition. 58th pick Lester Hudson has a contract and a chance to make the team at guard.

After sending tremors through Celtic Nation early in the summer by offering Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo on the NBA Shopping Channel, Danny Ainge found the bids wanting and kept the starting five in tact for year three of the Garnett Era. Rondo has returned stronger and determined. He appears ready to start raising his contract value…. game by game.

2) What are the team’s biggest strengths?

Lord have mercy. There are a lot. It is an explosive combination of talent, confidence, experience chemistry, defense, offense, balance and depth. Other than that, they ‘got’ nothing. This team’s job is to stay hungry, focused and motivated through the long year. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all got the championship monkey off their backs two years ago. They are so good that they won’t have to try too hard to beat many teams. Keeping the edge and having everyone meshing by playoff time is the challenge.

It is clear that they are pulling out all the stops when Kevin Garnett says that this team ‘could be ‘one of the greatest….ever’. They will be looking for a special place in history…one game at a time.

Defense trumps all and the Green Machine will be right at the top again with a healthy KG and now Wallace as first off the bench. They have a proven system and the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year back in Garnett. Kendrick Perkins has worked hard to become one of the league’s top defensive centers. His growth with KG injured was eye opening. Rajon Rondo has a special build, intelligence, ultra quickness, cleverness, and superstar competitiveness to be a special defender. Pierce’s anticipation, tenaciousness, quick hands and footwork means trouble for even Kobe and LeBron.

The Celtics were:
1)   first in three point shooting FG%
2)   first in FG% difference
2)   first in FG% allowed (tied)
3)   the second best FG%
4)   second best in rebounds allowed
5)   second best in rebounding advantage
6)   second best in assists differential
7)   third best in points allowed

They have one of the most efficient offenses, they rebound the missed shots, they pass the ball, and they disrupt you from passing it.

With Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, they have two of the very best, cold blooded, last minute shooters in the game today. Most teams would be lucky to have one.

Wallace, House, Scalabrine, Daniels, and Davis can each play two different positions. A healthy Tony Allen adds depth. With Wallace, Daniels and Davis, depending on his growth, the Celtics first eight are equal to or better than any team in the NBA.

That Doc Rivers is the coach of a team with gonads the size of watermelons, and Marlon Brando egos is a strength. The ‘sacrifice self to team goals’ concept will be in good hands, as a down to earth, open and perceptive Rivers guides this talented, testosterone laden line-up towards another title. That this will be his most challenging year is a given. Nothing less than a title is the goal.

3) What are the team’s weaknesses?

See strengths. A team with this much talent, competitiveness, egos, and intensity may work against itself from time to time. There may not be enough competition throughout the season to challenge this team. Rondo is still growing. He will have to prove his outside shot. Davis is still growing in all areas. Other than that, there are few.

To get specific, a James Posey type defensive specialist small forward may be needed, unless Daniels answers the call. If something else pops up during the season, they can most likely correct it. Back up point guard may be an issue that needs attention as the year goes on, but I’m okay with Daniels right now.

As the saying goes, ‘it is not the years, it’s the mileage’. I don’t think that will be a problem this season. All that game experience will still be an advantage this season with a more solid bench.

4) What are the goals for this team?

That is easy. Another NBA title.

To get that, Doc and the team must be sure to get to game # 82 healthy. The players will, of course, play all out. But Doc must watch the minutes. Integrating Wallace and Daniels and finding the best combos against certain teams and in different situations should happen in the first half of the year.

Keeping the ‘team first’ attitude for players this talented is no easy job. Keeping an 82 game commitment to defense isn’t either. Remember how Denver and Atlanta were going to become top defensive teams before last season started?

Developing a new offensive wrinkle or two to get Ray Allen and Eddie House open wouldn’t hurt. Just having KG back drawing defensive attention while adding Wallace and Daniels will help, as well.

5) Seismograph Season Watch: Looking for ripples and earthquakes

a) Injuries. They are always the game changer, for any team. They lurk below the surface of any predictions. If the Lakers, Spurs, Cavaliers, or Magic lose their top player for the playoffs, they are toast, the Rockets playoff run notwithstanding.

b) Relative improvement. Call it the Theory of Relativity. Which of the other top four teams improves the most, compared to the others, will influence the chances of a title. If the Magic get the new players to meld and play defense, they will be a factor. McDyess and Jefferson to the Spurs is big. They look as formidable as the Lakers with their acquisitions. The Cavs now have Shaq, Moon, and Parker. How can that be bad? Let the melding process begin.

c) Home court advantage. In the east, the race for home court advantage will take on more importance than normal with the Cavs and Magic getting stronger on paper. The top team in the east will only have to face one of the other top two teams in the playoffs. It will have more significance.

d) In season trades and FA acquisitions. The Celtics put the finishing touches on their title with P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell the year before. Rafer Alston was a critical pick up for Orlando last season. Who might be available this year and who might those players help? Could Raja Bell become a mid season Celtic? How about Jerry Stackhouse, Carlos Arroyo, or Wally Szczerbiak? Would a failed season in Memphis make Iverson available half way through? How about a bad year in Milwaukee seeing Hakim Warrick or Kurt Thomas shopped?

For the Celtics, it would have to be Rondo’s continued development. He is a starter. In fact, he is an all star in the making. To a lesser extent, Glen Davis. A reliable Rondo jump shot and improved leadership, Davis adding a move or two with improved defense and rebounding influences the Celtic season is very good ways.

Eye of the Tiger and Eye on The Prize will get this team where it wants to go.

Final Thought:
I can’t think of a more talented and intense group of competitors than Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins. That is a scary combined mindset to be dealing with, if you are the opposing team.

Predicted record: 64-18

Other Celtic previews:    Loy’s Place Celtics17 Red’s Army Hoops Addict Celticsblog Celtics Hub Gino’s Jungle