Celtics will NOT repeat in 2009.

The moment the t's were crossed and the i's were dotted, and the Big Three was established, I declared the Boston Celtics the 2008 NBA Champions.

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are among the elite at their respective positions, breaking records left and right. Individually, they have accomplished all that they possibly could. Each of those men were surely headed to the Hall of Fame, but they were all headed there with bare fingers. They were all headed there without closure. Until, that is, a sunny summer day in 2007. Talent partially aside, there is no way in the world that you could put those three men together and not win a championship. The hunger that they all shared for that Larry O'Brien was enough to secure the big prize that they have all been chasing since the day they were drafted. They are now headed to the hall of fame with some extra shine.

Talented they were, but at the top of the game they were not. Each member of the Trinity posted numbers in their championship season that were significantly lower than their career average. In his prime, Ray Allan was putting up 25.1 ppg, grabbing 4.3 boards, and dishing out 3.7 assists per game. During the 2008-2009 season, Ray was averaging 18.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and 2.7 apg. At the height of the big man's career, KG was dropping 24.1 points and dominating the paint with almost 14 rpg. Last season, he contributed 16.1 ppg and grabbed just over 9 rebounds. When he was The Truth, Pierce boasted an impressive stat line of 26.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 4.7 apg. During their championship season, Paul put up 19.1 points per game. All of their numbers dipped, but their drive compensated for it. These three men were starving for the championship and it was that willingness, that drive, and that starvation that put them over the top and proved that impossible is nothing.

This season, while they're still an amazing team, they've lost the leadership of wanna-be coach Sam Cassell and the very versatile James Posey. More importantly, they've lost the drive they  had last season. Of course they are in the pursuit of defending their championship, and they are hungry for another one; but they are only hungry, they are not starving. And starvation was what got them their chip.

Who is still starving? The Los Angeles Lakers, specifically Kobe Bryant. Kobe is still on a mission to prove to the world that he can do it without the Diesel. He has to prove that he has matured into a player who finally understands the notion of teamwork and when it's appropriate to take over the game. With Bynum back, #24 now has all of the pieces to the puzzle. It'll come down to the Lakers and Cavs in the Finals and Kobe will put the youngin in his place.