bostondave	Male 36 years old DANVERS, MA
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The Boston Celtics start their preseason tonight and begin the defense of the NBA title. Isn't that great? Its been a short off season with the guys resting and slowly gearing up for the long grind of the season.

The loss of James Posey was big but I think Danny has brought in some younger guys who could fill in in spots. JR Gidens, Bill Walker and Darius Miles will all have to somehow make up for the loss of Posey. Did the Hornets overpay??? Will all three of the guys I mentioned be on the team? Who is the odd man out???

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and KG are back and healthy. They will certainly be driven to get back to the playoffs. They'll have to make sure to avoid injuries. That was the one key thing that helped them win the championship Paul Pierce's knee withstanding. heh

Rajon is a year older and hopefully better. He is certainly stronger. Hopefully he can continue his great defensive play.

Has Perkins healed? Will his game improve???

Big Baby, Leon Powe among others will have to continue their key roles off the bench. Will Tony Allen show any of the potential he had before his injury? Will PJ Brown return mid-season?

Can this team handle the best effort from every team they face? Defending the crown won't be easy. The East has improved through free agency and the draft. The Celts have basically returned the same team. We're still in the win now mode with not a lot of a youth ready to step into KG's or Pauls' place if things go bad.

Tonight's game will be hohum. I don't think the big three are playing a lot if any against the Sixers. But its great to get things started up again. Expect to see a lot of the bench...