Celtics Look The Same in '08 as in '07; Will they Win another NBA Title?

I recently got talked into playing fantasy basketball this season.  We had our draft the other night and I was able to draft both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. 

Seeing these players on my team got me to thinking about the upcoming season and what to expect.  I looked over the rest of the Celtics roster for this season and it looks exactly like last season's roster. 

Is this good or bad?

They won the title with that roster, but they made no upgrades or changes, so the opposition will know what to expect from them night in and night out, perhaps giving opponents a better idea of how to beat this Celtics team than they had last year.

Last season, the Celtics got off to a 29-3 start.  Some of the reason for that success was probably due to the newness of the team.  Opposing teams couldn't prepare very well for the Celtics, because, essentially, they had never played the Celtics. 

This year will offer libraries full of game tape and plenty of personal experience to draw upon for eastern foes like Chauncey Billups of the Detroit Pistons or Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Familiarity can make an opponent easier to handle to some extent, even if that opponent is better than you.  If you play ball against your big brother long enough, eventually you start to figure out his tricks.

The Celtics are without a doubt the big brother of the Eastern Conference.  While the other teams may know some of the Celtics' tricks, you can bet that the Celtics also know some of theirs.  I think it is safe to say the Celtics will win a lot of games again this season.  They might not win 66 like last year, but they will win plenty.

We all know how tough it is to win back to back titles in any professional sport, no matter how good the team is.  It will be interesting to see if some young teams in the Eastern Conference can emerge and provide a challenge.  Teams like Toronto and Philadelphia are certainly worth keeping an eye on. 

As bad as they were last season, Milwaukee, has to be worth watching this season.  With Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva in the paint and Michael Redd shooting on the outside, how can this team not be a contender?  If they start to play a little defense, look out for the Bucks.

See what fantasy basketball can do to you.  One day the NBA isn't even on your mind; the next day you are checking out rosters and trying to figure out who might win it all this year. 

I have to admit, as a life long NBA fan who has been a bit disenchanted with the league over the past decade, this upcoming season seems to provide a lot to look forward to.  There are really some exciting players to watch and some good story lines to follow.