By: Andrew Macdougall

After a tough regular season, and an even more difficult loss to the Orlando Magic in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics look to return to the NBA Finals after resting and reloading a hurt, and often depleted, roster.
For the first time since mid-February, the “PGA Tour” will be back in Boston, as Paul Pierce, Kevin

Garnett, and Ray Allen, three perennial All-Stars, look to regain the form of the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics as they attempt to win their second Larry O’Brien trophy, and to win Boston its 18th title banner.

Garnett, the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, was sidelined with a right knee strain in February, and missed practically the rest of the season, and all of the playoffs, but was good to go for the season opener against LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Both Pierce and Allen hope to recapture their excellent play from last season, especially Allen, who was on fire during the playoffs, hitting the game winning three-pointer as time expired during Game Two of the first round against the Chicago Bulls, capping off a 30-point night.

During the offseason, the Celtics added two marquee players to their bench, while saving one of their best young players from being traded. Boston signed four-time All Star center Rasheed Wallace to a three-year contract at the mid-level exception ($5.58 million) to be one of the Celtics’ main men off the bench. The Celts also signed Marquis Daniels, a big guard who plays some solid defense, to a contract worth $2 million dollars to come off the bench behind Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Arguably the biggest move the Celtics didn’t make was trading away Rondo. Rondo, who was otherworldly during the postseason last year (averaging almost a triple-double per game, with two triple-doubles against the Bulls, one against the Magic, and one game with a remarkable 19 assists), has been labeled as a problem within the locker room, and had reportedly been shopped around during the off-season.  Despite all of the off-season turmoil, he will start for the Celtics on Opening Night at the point guard position. Though he has a tendency to make poor passing decisions, his ball-handling skills and play making abilities rival those of the best guards in the NBA.

The Celtics begin the season in a much tougher Eastern Conference than they found themselves in this spring. The Cavaliers, who have already made one NBA Finals appearance in the LeBron James era, added Shaq through a trade, and they also signed Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and old friend Leon Powe, who join an already potent lineup. Don’t expect Doc Rivers to ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ with a team that has that much depth. Likewise, the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Finals foes, the Magic, made noise this offseason by trading Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter, in addition to signing Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, and Jason Williams. Even though the East just got more competitive, expect the Celtics to battle for the top spot in the East this season.

Everyone knows, however, that to be the best, you have to beat the best, and last year’s best, the Los Angeles Lakers, made noise in the offseason by adding disgruntled Ron Artest, who was been nothing but stellar for head coach Phil Jackson this preseason. Expect nothing less from the Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, as they look to regain the title and remain best not only in the West, but in the league as a whole.