Celtics ready to begin quest for second straight crown

October 28, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

After raising the NBA championship banner, they open the season with Cleveland.

BOSTON (AP) — Every night of his adult life, Doc Rivers says, he has prayed before bedtime. And every night, it was the same thing: “To win a world championship.”

“And the night we won it, I got on my knees to do my prayer and I said, ‘Again,’ ” the Boston Celtics coach said. “It didn’t take long.”

Still hungry for another title, Rivers will watch as the Celtics’ 17th championship banner is raised to the rafters of the TD Banknorth Garden before tonight’s season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The players will get their championship rings. Celtics legends from the past will be welcomed back. Highlights of their title drive will be shown on the video screen.

And then the team will get back to the business of filling up the NBA’s most crowded trophy case.

“To be a real special Celtics team, you have to win more than one,” owner Wyc Grousbeck said.

True, sometimes players get their rings and decide they’ve accomplished everything they need to. They come into camp with an attitude, or an extra 10 pounds, or an entourage that distracts them from the attempt to repeat.

One look at Kevin Garnett’s face convinced Rivers to focus on other concerns.

“I can’t imagine even seeing a laid-back Kevin Garnett,” Rivers said. “I don’t think that will happen.”

Instead, Rivers keeps his eye out for signs that a supporting player has grown tired of playing his role. He spent part of the summer calling around to other coaches who have won championships — some in basketball, some in other sports — to get advice on how to try to repeat.

“They all said the same thing about the role guys,” Rivers said. “They played their role last year, but now they’ve been on all the parade tours. Will they think they’re a role player anymore, or will they think they’re one of the Big Four?”

Led by the new Big Three of NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Garnett, the Celtics won their first title since 1986, the year the original Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish won its third championship as a group.

Last season, Rivers relied on his players to keep things in order. Just as the Big Three made sure there was no complacency among the starters, the bench needed its leader to keep things in line.

“We had a guy who did that,” Rivers said, “but he’s in New Orleans now.”

That guy was James Posey, an unselfish 6-foot-8 forward with a 3-point shooting touch, outstanding defensive skills and veteran savvy.

He cashed in on his role as a key to the Celtics’ championship by signing a four-year, $25 million contract with the New Orleans Hornets as a free agent.

The decision to leave Boston was difficult, but it created an opportunity for guard Tony Allen, a solid defensive player drafted by the Celtics in the first round in 2004.

“We don’t have that confidence yet” in the backups, Ray Allen said. “That’s one thing we’re working continually towards.”

The starting five is unchanged — Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen, point guard Rajon Rondo and center Kendrick Perkins.

Forwards Leon Powe and Glen Davis, and guards Eddie House and Tony Allen should be key players off the bench.