The season is finally upon us, the NBA season tipoff is just a mere days away as it tips off on Tuesday and it looks like it will be an exciting season as many teams have gotten better. The Eastern Conference has gotten better as Shaq has joined LeBron and Cleveland, Florida native Vince Carter is in Orlando joining the Eastern Conference defending champs, and Rasheed Wallace has joined the Boston Celtics who are looking to rebound from a disappointing series against Orlando. So let’s preview the East for the upcoming season.

1.      Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics get Kevin Garnett back healthy which is the key. I can’t really see a scenario where Boston stays in this top stop if Garnett is not healthy, because they were a different team without KG, he is the emotional leader of the team, he is a defensive presence and a low post presence.

The Celtics had two big acquisitions adding players like Marquis Daniels, and Rasheed Wallace. Daniels is a versatile guard who averaged just under 14 points a game last season for the Pacers, Daniels can also post up on smaller guards, expect him to contribute off the bench.

Rasheed Wallace is an enigma; he will provide frontcourt depth to go along with Glen Davis which will help keep KG healthy. Wallace has the ability to go in the post and stretch the defense by stroking the three from the outside. Wallace will provide great front court depth; expect him to be one of the leaders on this veteran Celtic team.

The only thing working against the Celtics is age, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace who are all in their 30s. The Celtics window is closing, as Pierce and Allen become free agents at the end of the year. Due to their age the Celtics could also suffer some injuries, however this could be the last year the Celtics stay dominant in the eastern conference.

2.      Orlando Magic

The Magic are coming off disappointing finals which could’ve gone either way. The Magic look hungry for another shot at a title as Dwight Howard has let it known he has not forgotten the image of the Lakers celebrating on the Magic’s home court.

The Magic’s big acquisition was 11 year vet Vince Carter. Carter has been one of the most prolific scorers of this decade averaging 23.5 points per game for his career. Vince adds the one on one scoring that the Magic need, Vince is going to be the go to guy late in games. The big difference of this Vince and the Vince of previous years is that Vince is completely motivated, he’s back home, and he has a great shot at a title.

The Magic also added Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes who should make fill the void that Turkoglu left. Barnes a great wing defender, and Bass is a good pick and pop player who has developed a nice mid range shot, basically you subtract Turkoglu and add Vince, Bass, and Barnes, sounds like a good deal right.

3.      Cleveland Cavaliers

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