The 2008-2009 Challenge

The way the Celtics are playing, it appears that they will be a serious threat to--at a minimum--go back to the Eastern Conference Finals. The big challenge for Doc Rivers will be how to balance enough playing time for "The Big Three Redux" to keep them sharp and enough rest to keep them fresh for the post-season.

So far, so good. What makes this strategy easier is the fact that the "kids" are playing with all the more confidence this year as defending World Champions (oooh, that rolls off the virtual tongue nicely).

Let's hope the kiddie corp continues to impress and the veterans continue to excel so that Banner 18 becomes a legitimate possibility.

Alan Who?

There sure has been a lot of hype about the Pistons becoming the Beast of the East with the acquisition of Alan "It's Practice" Iverson. So, when the Celtics carried their 5-1 mark into Baghdad on the Great Lakes, it was touted by some as the first blow in the battle to de-thrown the World Champs.

Not bloody likely.

With a 2nd Quarter that rivaled the dominance of the Bird Era, the Cs out-tallied the Motor City Five 30-10. The re-invigorated Tony Allen had 23 points off the bench, out-scoring all the starters. Pierce had only 7, Garnett only 8 and Ray Allen 17 in the relatively cushy win (88-76) for the Green.

So, they are 6-1 and look like the odds-on favorite to be back in the Finals. Is that too bold? Not bloody likely.