The trade shocked me. I love Perkins, as a player and as a guy. He is genuine off the court, and he works his tail off in games and in practice.

But, as we all know, the NBA is a business, and the Celts felt a deal had to happen.

The trade tells me a few things about the team’s outlook.

What We Learned

1. Kendrick Perkins would not have been retained after the season. The Celtics know that Perkins’s defensive prowess in the paint is a major asset, and Perk will likely garner numerous lucrative offers from teams willing to (over)pay for his services.

2. Boston is not worried about the Orlando Magic. Having Perkins gave the C’s a clear advantage over the Magic, since he could guard Dwight Howard. However, Orlando is still trying to find an identity after re-tooling their roster.

The Heat, Bulls, Lakers, Spurs and Knicks are all more relevant to the Celtics than the Magic, and these teams should be.

The Celtics have the personnel to let Howard score his 30 points and snatch his 15 rebounds, but keep guys like Jameer Nelson, Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu in check.

3. The Celtics are not sold on Perkins’s offensive progression. Boston viewed Perkins as expendable simply because he was an offensive liability. Although he was able to hide his deficiencies through the play of the other starters, he was clearly a defensively oriented player.

Having both Rajon Rondo and Perk on the floor on offense was making the Celtics easier to defend.

Teams don’t mind leaving Rondo alone (daring him to take jump shots), and can shade off of Perkins, relying on the time it took Perkins to hesitate, up-fake, or take the ball to the floor.

Essentially, opposition had free defenders to prevent Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce from scoring.

4. Delonte West is an upgrade over Nate Robinson, and Boston knows it. Nate Robinson was only expendable because Delonte West is a better point guard (to back up Rondo), a more consistent offensive player, and a stronger defender.

This brings me to my next point, why the trade makes sense for the Celtics.

It Makes Sense

First, Nate Robinson, although fun to watch, a high-energy defender and a light-it-up type scorer, he was inconsistent offensively.

Enter West, who can do what Nate Robinson does defensively, and even more offensively. West is significantly larger than Robinson, and he has a skill set of a natural point guard.

The Celtics have never truly been able to find a back up for Rondo, and West gives the second-unit a desperately needed point guard.

Now, in terms of what the Celtics got: Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

Jeff Green is a good player. He has averaged just under 15 points per game in his young career, along with 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Celtics have been looking for somebody to replace James Posey since the lock-down defender and three-point specialist moved on to New Orleans, and they finally have found their answer.

Green is a tall forward, at 6-8, so he has the size to guard power forwards and small forwards (LeBron James, for instance), but the quickness to keep up with slashing 2-guards. Also, he has been playing at power forward, where he is slightly undersized.

On the Celtics Green will be able to play his more natural SF position, where the size mismatch is in his favor.

Nenad Krstic is young (27), but has seen his numbers take a dip this season. Nonetheless, he has averaged 10 points per game over his career, and is a player who (unlike Perkins) is an offensive threat with jump-shooting capabilities.

He is certainly not as much of a defensive presence, but at 7-0 he can block shots.

Also, people think that without Perkins the Celtics will be lost defensively.

Boston didn’t look lost without him for the first half of the season, and defense is as much about being mentally strong as it is about being physically capable (as in guys can step in, embrace a way of playing, and add to their game).

Let’s look at the starting lineup, post trade (assuming Krstic will have the starting job over Shaquille O’Neal).

Defenses now have four players to focus on, meaning less double teams keying in on the C’s “big three”. This makes the offense more dynamic.

Here’s the much improved second unit:

Jeff Green starts on almost any other team in the NBA, as does Delonte West. Von Wafer, for some reason, has been lost on the Celtics bench.

He has an average jumper but is explosive when driving through the lane, and Doc has consistently praised his defensive awareness. He is similar to Marquis Daniels in terms of abilities, but he has more upside.

Glen Davis will surely be in contention for sixth-man of the year, and he too could start on many teams.

The second unit is, quite frankly, the best in the NBA, and strong enough to compete with many first units.

Overall, the Celtics gained what they desperately needed, a young, healthy swing man who can play defense but also score. They lost out defensively, but Shaquille O’Neal is still in the mix, and if Jermaine O’Neal comes back, the team will have another big body to take up space.

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Tony Allen possesses ridiculous athleticism, defensive intensity, and an upside as high as one of the elite 1-on-1 defenders in the NBA. This past season as a Celtic, Allen finally showed fans what he was capable of, especially in the playoffs.

His athleticism was shown by his beautiful finishes at the rim and a dunk during which he pulled his arm back and dunked around and over Anderson Varejao.

However, it was his defending that earned him a top spot on the bench.

Tony Allen was vital in the Celtics playoff run. He offered rest to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and slowed the likes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and on a lesser scale, Vince Carter.

Offensively, Allen was a player who could slash to the basket and on occasion finish with emphasis. While he is not nearly an offensive threat, he was a serviceable 4th or 5th option.

TA is a unique player in that he gives a team defensive versatility.

Think of him like Darelle Revis on the New York Jets.

The Jets have the capability to stick Revis 1-on-1 with any wide receiver in the NFL, knowing that Revis will succeed. This allows them to send blitzes to rush the quarterback or double cover other offensive threats.

Allen allowed the Celtics to do the same. In the Finals, he covered Kobe Bryant. While Bryant still put up points, Ray Allen and Tony Allen made him take many shots which were very much forced.

This lead to Kobe’s low overall shooting percentage of 40% from field goal range, and 31% from beyond the arc.

Against the Heat, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were both inconsistent when guarding Wade, but when Tony played against Flash, he not only allowed Pierce and Ray to get into an offensive rhythm (instead of overworking themselves defensively), but also made life very difficult for Wade.

Wade ended up scoring a remarkable 56% from the field, but T. Allen received limited playing time.

Defensively, the C’s only needed to concern themselves with Wade, the Heat’s major offensive threat. They knew they could let Wade go for 30 and still win through team offense, which Tony sometimes struggled with.

However, when he did play, there was a noticeable drop in Wade’s energy level.

While not always statistically shown, Tony Allen can go 1-on-1 with the best players in the NBA and allow other players to play a team/help defense.

With the new big three in Miami, Tony could have guarded Wade or LeBron, while the Celtics could double team the other. Kevin Garnett, although aging, can still handle Chris Bosh with the help of Jermaine O’Neal and when healthy, Kendrick Perkins.

Without Tony, the Celtics will presumably double James, which will put Wade in 1-on-1 situations with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Marquis Daniels. All are capable defenders, but with each one the Celtics sacrifice in a significant fashion defensively.

With Tony Allen, they wouldn’t have to.

Losing a 13-point lead from the third quarter, suffering some frustrating calls from Joey Crawford’s crew, and running an offense that seemed stuck on isolations can be pretty painful.

Still, there is a lot to be proud of. Obviously, in Game Seven of the NBA Finals, winning is the only thing that matters, but I think it’s fair to say the Celtics had a great run in the playoffs to even make a Game Seven in the first place.

Looking back, every Celtics player has something to hang his hat on. Rasheed Wallace turned it on the playoffs, Rajon Rondo was clutch throughout the postseason, and, despite his offensive struggles, Ray Allen held the best player in the world to below 35 percent shooting. That’s resiliency.

Paul Pierce, trying to will the C’s back into it at the end of the game, couldn’t get a late call but still gave a gutsy performance. Kendrick Perkins was huge inside, Glen “Big Baby” Davis was, too, and Nate Robinson was effective off the bench.

Of course, Tony Allen, my favorite reserve, played great defense on #24.

Lastly, Kevin Garnett played well after being dominated in Games One and Two by Gasol.

There comes a point in time when you have to look at a basketball series and appreciate it for what it was, win or lose.

I will only complain about one thing—the calls that Pau Gasol gets are ridiculous. You cannot look me in the eyes and say that’s not true. Sorry.

There’s a point when I think the last game turned in favor of the Lakers. I think it’s going to be overlooked, but at the end of a quarter, Brian Scalabrine played terrific defense against Lamar Odom, forcing a bad Laker possession and an eventual airball.

Davis snagged the rebound aggressively, but he was unable to make a good pass to Rondo, and the C’s lost the opportunity to close the quarter with a bang.

The window might have closed on the Celtics, with the futures of Ray Allen, Doc Rivers, and even Pierce unknown, but you will always be able to look back to Game Seven and know you saw amazing happen.

As a Celtics fan, the team played well, they played with heart. The scoring should have come, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Credit the Laker defense.

Although, one must credit the Celtics’ defense, too. Throughout the course of the series, except for Game Six, the Celtics’ defense was solid.

For a team that was not supposed to make it out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals? A gritty Game Seven performance is not a devastating heartbreaker.

Sleep well, Celtics fans. There’s a lot to be proud of.

After each game, it seems like the winner has a mass of momentum in their favor. After Game 1, the Lakers looked unstoppable, but were dropped by the C’s in Game 2.

Of course, Boston looked like they were looking to end the series after winning the second game. Unfortunately, after a near pounding by the Lakers, Los Angeles seemed to be gearing up for another road victory which would put the Celtics in a choke.

Now that the C’s have won Game 4, it would be easy to say that they have lots of momentum on their side.

These two teams are so evenly matched, however, that one small drop in level of play by the Celtics will easily cost them a game.

The Lakers do have a slight advantage in this series as of now. They have to win two of the next three games (as does Boston), but they have two games at home to do it.

Andrew Bynum, however, is clearly not healthy, and the Celtics dominated inside after he was deemed ineffective in the latter part of Game 4.

Game 5 is on Sunday, so Bynum will have a couple days to rest his meniscus-torn knee, but Games 6 and (assuming there is one) 7 would be played with only one day of rest.

Picking a team right now to win the series is really just a toss up, but I like the Celtics to win.

They have played sensational defense, even in there losses. Doc Rivers has pointed out that offensively they have been getting spectacular, open looks, but have been unable to drop easy shots.

Naturally, basketball is a game of ups and downs, so if the Celtics go on a tear where they start making these open shots (Rondo missed 8 layups yesterday, and Kevin Garnett missed 4 usually automatic jump shots).

Also, Ray Allen has been slumping. I don’t expect another 8 3-point game from him, but I do think he’ll be back to nailing his open-look threes come Sunday.

Also, many don’t realize how well the Celts have defended Kobe Bryant.

He has scored 20+ points in all of the games thus far, but these are coming on 10-20, 10-25 shooting nights. As in, Kobe’s getting his points, but taking 50% more shots than he normally would to get there.

Tony Allen is harassing Bryant to the point where some of his threes look like Kendrick Perkins is taking the shots, and although Bryant has made some ridiculous shots over Ray Allen, he has been heavily contested.

Further, Kevin Garnett finally seems to be owning Pau Gasol in the post offensively, and the Celtics are playing Perk against Gasol when Bynum is out or Odom is playing.

This makes Gasol have to constantly bang it out with the strong, heavy and physical monster that Perkins is, and although Pau is not as soft as he used to be, the man is still not your “bang it out” big man.

The biggest advantage the C’s have though, is their bench. Glen Davis and Nate Robinson (as apparent) both bring massive amounts of energy to the game, and as already mentioned Tony Allen is a lock down defender.

Rasheed Wallace, sometimes inconsistent offensively, has the length and mental ability to get inside of Pau Gasol’s head, and Michael Finley, although he has not played, provides veteran leadership and a last resort spark.

The Lakers rely on Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown off the bench. Both players are good, but they don’t bring the same explosion the C’s bench can.

Also, LA has Lamar Odom off the bench, but he is very inconsistent, and after playing two rather solid games is due for a couple of tough performances.

I guarantee that in either Game 5 or Game 6, if not both, Odom will be a no show.

It sounds like the Celtics are just a hugely better team after reading all of their advantages, but one monster performance from Kobe Bryant or even Pau Gasol, and these advantages will easily be neutralized.

We all know that’s not far out of the realm of possibility.

I will also say this.

The refereeing in this series has been disgusting. (That’s really, really, really, really bad.)

Watch four possessions of the game, and you’ll find at least one blown call.

At least they’re not favoring one team though. They’re equally screwing both teams. Hopefully that changes.

Ending on a positive note, these next few games will be exciting.

Bold Prediction: Paul Pierce catches fire in Game 5 and drops 28.

Are the Celtics better than the Magic? That is, will we see games resembling the first part of the game, or the second part, when the Magic were dominating.

My answer is neither. There will rarely be occasions where you see the Magic or Celtics dominate each other as much as they did last night. Expect games to resemble the second quarter and the end of the fourth period, where the teams were going back-and-forth, with last minute plays playing a major part in the game’s outcome.

How can I say this confidently?

Well, looking at the game, the Magic had about a week before they had to play, and they have not played a legitimate game in almost a month.

Before playing the Celtics, the Magic had yet to lose a playoff game, and they were clearly rusty from their layoff after sweeping the Hawks.

They pulled it together in the 3rd, but were still rusty throughout parts of the game, missing open threes they generally drained (especially Rashard Lewis), while Dwight Howard could not get his and-1s to drop.

Expect similar defensive battles, however, as Dwight Howard and his Magic are a hellishly good defensive team, and KG’s defense is not a slacker either.

After seeing Game 1, I think the Celtics win in six games.

Paul Pierce has the ability to go one-on-one against Mikael Pietrus, Vince Carter or Matt Barnes and absolutely unload, as does Ray Allen, who was getting open at will beyond the arc.

Last year, you will remember, Ray Allen could not shoot the three against the Magic, so having him playing well will be a boost for the C’s (who also have KG).

Also, Rajon Rondo owns Jameer Nelson, and Hedo Turkoglu, who presented matchup problems for the Celtics, is in Toronto.

Lastly, Rasheed Wallace has proved over his career to be Dwight Howard’s Kryptonite, as his long arms and rebounding abilities test Superman’s.

Both the Magic and Cavaliers built their teams to best suit their needs against each other, meaning they expected to play each other in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for them, the C’s built their team to face the Cavs and the Magic, so Boston has a fundamental advantage.

The Celtics are healthy, and by winning game one in Orlando, have effectively earned home court advantage for the series.

Throughout the second half, they lazily closed out three point shots, were unable to keep up with Hornets’ players, and were unable to score. The team missed over 10 free throws in the second half, and turned the ball over 23 times.

This is not a team that will win a championship, and at this rate this team may not even be playing deep in the playoffs.

Looking at the team, it is obvious that there is very little camaraderie and a small amount of chemistry on the court. And, why shouldn’t there be?

For all of December Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett were out, and Marquis Daniels only recently returned. On top of that, Ray Allen missed his first game with back spasms, so the C’s have not had the time to develop chemistry.

Essentially, what you have is a team with a lot of skill, but very little chemistry, something that will not get you far.

Look at the 2004 Yankees (Red Sox won the WS that year, winning four straight games in the ALCS against New York).

The defense is lacking in the 2nd half, the offense seems energy-less, as players jack up seemingly random jump shots, and the free throw shooting is abysmal.

In terms of defense, the entire third quarter was marked by open Hornets players in the corners drilling threes, with Celtics players barely entering the frame at times. Late close outs, and an inability to stick with their opponents is the reason the Celtics need to worry.

But, looking at what I just said, what seems to be the problem? Why does this team seemingly lose every big lead they have, in the second half, especially the third quarter?

Well, that’s just it. The third quarter. All week I have been trying to figure out why Boston has been lifeless, when it occurred to me that this team is old. The core players, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, are all past their prime.

Kevin Garnett is clearly slowed by his injury, and with the rest at halftime his knee ends up cooling down and as a result he is not explosive in the second half. Same with Pierce, who is unable to quickly change directions due to a foot injury, and banged up knees.

Ray Allen, while playing every game, has had to take a lot of the load with Pierce and Garnett injured, and as a result has logged the highest minutes per game total on the team.

Remember, he 34.

It is the second half where these injuries start to act up, after playing a full half of basketball despite them.

Further supporting this idea is that the trouble generally occurs in the third quarter. Tonight, losing by 17 points in the 3rd. The C’s only lost by 3 in the fourth, 21-18.

Essentially, after warming up their injuries, guys like KG and Pierce could become major factors once again, and play well in the final period.

Against the Magic, on Sunday, they lost 34-11 in the 3rd, but won the 4th quarter. Again, when the injuries were warmed up, they began to play better.

So, you might ask, what about Allen, why is he not the same player in the 4th, despite having the opportunity to warm up again?

Well, being a 34-year-old, he is just nagged by the wear-and-tear which his body is taking (but really shouldn’t be), and thus unable to make plays he normally would be able to.

Perkins and Rondo, the other two of the starting five, can try to pick up as much slack as they can, but they both have free throw shooting troubles, meaning the normally game-changing three-point plays they pick-up are neutralized.

Off the bench, Rasheed Wallace is very inconsistent. At times draining big shots, and others throwing the ball out of bounds. When the team starts to play more games together, on the court (no injuries), then this will improve.

The good signs? Tony Allen is a spark, as is Marquis Daniels.

They both showed their defensive presence and made themselves known offensively as they slashed to the basket. Glen Davis is beginning to play well again, as well, as he grabbed some rebounds tonight, and showed his scoring ability by dropping some fall away jumpers.

Morale of the story? The All-Star break could not have come at a better time. This team needs the rest, so that their older players can re-obtain the explosiveness they had in the second half. The team is clearly talented enough, shown by their previous victories against the Cavs and Magic, albeit early in the season.

Based on the 3rd quarter struggles, it seems that this team just needs rest so that that they have the energy to play with come the 3rd quarter. Let Allen get some rest to heal his body, and allow KG and Pierce to heal their ailments, or at least further recover from them, and I think that you  might see a team playing with energy and passion once again. Furthermore, Marquis Daniels gets a few days of rest, and at a perfect time.

He played some games, and definitely wore down his thumb a little bit, so this rest will help him out, as well.

Hopefully, the excitement of his first All-Star game and the confidence he will gain calms Rondo at the free throw line, so he can go back to shooting, maybe 60-65% from the charity stripe, but to me, that is still a major question.

Should Danny Ainge pull the trigger on a trade? Yes, and I think he will, but it will probably be for a small addition off the bench, to maybe add some length and rebounding or defense.

I don’t think the break will completely fix Boston, but I do think that it will give them the means to recover and thus regain their previous quarter of dominance.

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In a word: yes.

People forget that the Celtics are missing their defensive leader, Kevin Garnett. Atop his absence is Paul Pierce’s injury. Pierce is playing, but his knee still is not 100%, affecting his ability to drive to the basket. Apparent in his play, Paul Pierce’s 1st half performances have been regularly better than his second half performances, as he seems far less explosive in quarters 3 and 4.

This most likely occurs because his knee pains begin to kick in towards the end of games.

Also, fans are forgetting that for a stretch, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace were all out for a few games in early January, contributing to their recent lack of success.

When Kevin Garnett returns on Friday, however, do not expect all problems to magically “disappear” for Boston. KG needs to strengthen his knee before returning to full strength.

The Celtics are a defensive-minded team, and have occasionally reverted to their mindset of “outscore the opponent” rather than “out defend them”. With Garnett back in the lineup, this should certainly change.

Yesterday, against the Mavericks, this problem was brought to the forefront. Dirk Nowitzki scored 37 points, compared to the average of 27 points he had scored against Boston in the big three era.

The main difference? Kevin Garnett was not defending the superstar.

If Dirk had scored even 32 points, this game would have been vastly different.

The Celtics have been lacking energy and strength down late in the 3rd and into the 4th quarter. Why?

Because they have little depth down low without KG, as Rasheed Wallace just returned from his injury.

The Celts have lost 5 games when leading by double-digits over the past few weeks. Guess what? It’s been a few weeks since KG and Pierce played together in the same game. With Garnett’s return should come intensity and a return to the defensive mindset.

In all, the Celtics have missed the defense of KG, and the health of some of their key players, again including Pierce, Rondo, Sheed and Garnett. Despite their recent losses and troubles closing games (like the Pats), Boston is nowhere near a bad position.

The team is still in second place in the Eastern conference, just 2.5 games behind the Cavalier, and with key players returning, should be returning to their normal, dominant selves.

Hopefully, by the time this team plays the Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce will be back at full health along with Rasheed Wallace, and Kevin Garnett’s defensive presence will be felt.

By this time next week, the only significant player the Celtics will need should be Marquis Daniels. With his return could pose even more danger for opposition.

Still burning about the end of the Pats’ season? Check out how they can contend for the Super Bowl next year here: How the Patriots can Contend for the SB Next Year.

Paul Pierce has stepped up, and Kevin Garnett’s mid-range jump shots seems to be finding the net with much more regularity at this point. Rajon Rondo, previously a threat to the Celtics at the free throw line, is now hitting shots from the charity stripe with more regularity.

Kendrick Perkins, another young player, has stepped up in a big way. He is averaging 7.6 rebounds and 12 points per game, and has become a defensive presence as a shot blocker down low.

Boston looks unstoppable right now, as they hold the best record in the entire NBA, as well as the best road record (11-1). Throw in a 10 game win streak, and this team looks like it should.

Not only has Perk improved defensively, but his offensive skills look much more refined, he is playing with more control, and he is keeping his head  in the game. Kendrick still does display a disgusted look after a questionable foul call, but he is rarely involved in technical fouls.

Also, after losing some weight in the off-season, he is much more athletic. Multiple times this year I have seen Perk fade away from a few feet off the basket and drain a little hook shot. While it doesn’t seem like much, he is keeping defenders honest by adding a second offensive dimension.

Previously, he had trouble even with simple layups, his only weapon, so defenders could play him to his weakness, a shot from a little farther out.

Now, Perk has been giving defenses fits by draining the shots when the opportunity presents itself.

Why is this important to the Celtics?

As I already mentioned, he presents another defensive threat down low to complement Kevin Garnett, and has become a shot blocking player. On offense, he just adds to the complexity of the Boston offense, one that features Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and the ever improving Rajon Rondo.

Not only have his skills scoring, rebounding and defending improved, but he has also become a strong pick setter. He is very controlled when stepping in on a defender as a pick, and always has his feet set before taking a body. This gives guys like Ray Allen and Eddie House open looks and very often lead to three pointers or uncontested drives to the basket.

In all, Perkins is just another piece of the puzzle while Boston tries to build a championship run, but his presence can never again be looked over as opposing teams try to plan for the Green.

Answered:

1. Will Rasheed Wallace be a cancerous player? Will he affect the chemistry which has become 2004 Red Sox’ like between the Celtics’ players? No. He has only been beneficial as a PF/C. He has hit seven three pointers, and is almost shooting an incredible 50% from beyond the arc. Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers are clearly making a concerted effort to keep the hot head cool, and his presence is stretching opposing defenses and making other players ever more threatening. For instance, playing the Cavs, there may be a situation where big man Anderson Varejao needs to step out on Sheed, giving a guy like Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce an open lane to the basket with one less person to divert the shot attempt. Good move Ainge, Rasheed was a great acquisition.
2. Marquis Daniels will really help this team. Another great move by Danny Ainge. Marquis Daniels is not the same player that James Posey was, but he gives Pierce an opportunity not to guard the oppositions’ best player like LeBron for an entire game. Tony Allen was supposed to be like Daniels, a defensive presence with slashing abilities on offense, but injuries held him back. Daniels is a threat offensively and is a solid defender.
3. Kevin Garnett is fine. There are still questions about the long haul, but he has reacted well to the surgery and is playing with the same intensity that he always had.
4. The playoff performances by Rajon Rondo were not flukish. Rondo has continued to produce at a high level. Against the Bulls and one of the most hyped young point guards in the league (Derrick Rose), Rondo had 16 assists.
5. Kendrick Perkins is still improving. Perk is in his 7th season, but is improving like it’s his 3rd year. He continues to block all kinds of shots, and his offensive game is a threat, especially down low. He’s a mammoth of a man, and really does a great job clogging lanes, but his growth and development have given him abilities to be in good position to block shots.
6. Eddie House is going to be huge. Down the stretch, the Celtics will need to win games when their starting five aren’t playing up to their full potential. Eddie House will prove to be a huge spark, as his shooting abilities will be amplified with defenses having to worry about Rasheed Wallace and now Marquis Daniels.

Questions:

1. While Garnett has showed signs of health and success early on, will his knee be able to survive a full, 82 game season? If the Celtics continue to win games that they should enabling KG to get some rest, then yes. Plus, Doc Rivers is being cautious with Garnett, so if he ever feels KG needs a day off to recover, we shouldn’t worry about Rivers being afraid to give Kevin a day off. I think KG will be fine, but there will certainly be times when he was not as effective as last year.
2. Will Rondo hit his jump shots? Rondo has not had many shot attempts, just two against the Bulls, but he did hit a few jumpers against the Cavaliers and Bobcats. This is always a question with the Celtics, because teams know that Rajon will not hurt them with his mid-range shot. If he can develop that shot and continue to improve upon it (it already looks a little better) then opposing teams will have yet another item to worry about.
3. How will Glen Davis’s return affect Boston? He should only help the team. Despite his questionable decision making, he was seen smiling with Danny Ainge and joking around with teammates. He is still a part of the C’s, and when he returns the Celtics will have a sensational four man rotation of Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Big Baby. Throw in Brian Scalabrine and the strong rebounding and athletic Shelden Williams, and the C’s should be dominant down low.

So, while questions remain, the C’s have showed early season dominance, and at this point, there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue.