The Celtics schedule is released.  At first glance, we are going to get a serious challenger in our first game with a game in Cleveland.  This is going to be a test of offseason moves, with the Celtics acquiring Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace and the Cavaliers acquiring Jamario Moon and Shaquille O'Neal.  Our third game of the season will be at home against the Chicago Bulls, a rematch of the first round series and the Bulls without Ben Gordon, a man they relied on a lot.

While we will be playing our old rivals the Philadelphia 76ers over the next couple of weeks, our next big challenge will be the San Antonio Spurs.  While a number of teams in the west have improved, I think they are the class of the west.  This will be a road game for us in the midst of a four-game road trip.  This is going to be a battle of deep frontcourts and backcourts.  This is one for both sides to mark on the calendar.

Santa Claus is going to give us the Orlando Magic for Christmas.  This is only our second game against a serious contender in the east. 

The most interesting part of our schedule is in roughly a three-week period, we will be playing the Los Angeles Lakers late January- through mid-February.  This is going to be a test of teams that respect each other and don't like each other.  This is the biggest rivalry in the NBA right now and one of the biggest in the country.  Both teams are going to want this one and the Celtics are going to want revenge.  The first game will occur on the 31st and will be at home.  The next one will be slightly after the all-star game.  This could be a game that determines momentum for both teams.  This is an emotional rivalry and both know the implications of these two games on the calendar.

The key to our season is going to be Garnett's health.  I think, despite our shortcomings, we could have won it all last year.  Our depth is also going to be critical to our team.  We have 5 quality big men so controlling the paint on both ends is going to be critical. 

I'm a believer that the regular season is important.  In the last few years, teams have not done so much to prove my theory that the regular season is important.  The Cavaliers bottomed out with the best record in the league, not even making it to the finals.  The Mavericks in 2006 lost in the first round and 2005, the Spurs didn't make it to the finals.  But these are just a few of the tests we face before the postseason when it really matters.

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