The 2008 Champion Boston Celtics are expected to have another great season with stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce leading the team. The Celts are off to an amazing 9-2 start, sporting an outstanding 5-1 record at the TD Banknorth Garden, and it’s looking like they’re not slowing down any time soon. This promising start could be a prelude to a 2009 NBA Championship.

Pierce, Allen, and Garnett have been the fiery core of the team so far this year, each of them scoring the majority of the points in their games, but Boston owes much to the rest of its roster.

The further development of Point Guard Rajon Rondo and Center Kendrick Perkins has proved to be essential to the continued success of the team, with Rondo putting up six assists per game and Perkins throwing down two and a half blocks per game.

Their strong bench has also contributed to their success so far this year, centered on their defensive whiz Tony Allen and aided by sharpshooter Eddie House and powerhouse Glen Davis. The loss of James Posey was thought to be a crushing blow to the Celts, but the team’s continued motivation has kept them focused on a championship repeat.

The undefeated Atlanta Hawks lost to the Celts on Wednesday 103-102 in a heated nail biter that came down to a buzzer beater jump shot by Paul Pierce with less than a second left. With the high level intensity of Wednesday’s game, it seemed a lot like the playoffs, with both sides playing as if everything was on the line.

It’s only November and yet the determination in the Celtics is as strong as ever. Teams like the Hawks will surely challenge the Celtics greatly this season, much like they did last year when they took Boston to seven games in the playoffs.

The Celtics did fall to Denver at home in a close game following their emotional victory over the Hawks, with Chauncey Billups leading the way past the C’s. Another tightly knit game followed against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks came from behind to bring the game to overtime, but the Celtics were too much for newly acquired Richard Jefferson and his team and in the end the Celtics won and improved their record to 9-2.

The year began with many close games, but Boston continues to be victorious, which brings us to important questions: Will the Celts have to step up their game a bit to make sure that they have a phenomenal season as they did in ’08? Or are they playing at the right pace to clinch the number one seed in the east?

Such a great start could mean that they’re on their way to another 66-16 season like they had last year. If the Celts keep playing with the drive and intensity they’ve started the year with, then we can expect to see another Celtics Championship Banner in 2009.