Eastern Conference questions: Do Celtics have drive to repeat?

Well, that’s that. Summer officially passed on September 21, but for sports fans, this is really it. Baseball’s postseason is nigh, and NBA training camp is now open. No longer can we sit idly by and look at the rosters of different teams, rationalizing ways they could come up with 50-win seasons if this or that happens. Now, we’re getting actual looks at the teams in action. And now, some delusions will be snapped. Overall, there are camp questions that will need to be asked and addressed quickly. Five of them really stand out in the East:
1. Celtic drive. The last time a group of hastily assembled veterans won an NBA title wasn’t all that long ago—the Heat took home the trophy in 2006 with a roster of advanced age patched around Dwyane Wade. Thus, it’s easy to revisit the history of that team. The following year’s Heat showed up for camp fat and happy, uninterested in another championship run. They got swept in the first round of the playoffs and now have been demolished beyond recognition. Nothing so dramatic will happen to last year’s champs in Boston—not with Kevin Garnett around. But there’s still the danger that, with their hunger for a championship sated, the Celtics may enter the season in cruise control and never really get out of it. The best time to address that danger is now, in training camp.

2. Jermaine O’Neal’s final act. Things didn’t wrap up so well in Indiana for O’Neal, but he has a chance to re-establish himself in Toronto. So far, so good—O’Neal has been talking up his intention to focus on defense and rebounding this season. That’s fine, but ultimately, O’Neal will need to figure out how to play second fiddle to Chris Bosh offensively. O’Neal isn’t much of a passer, and he’s not really a pure low-post player. That leads to two Raptors questions for camp. First, can O’Neal move the ball and eradicate his reputation as a black hole? And, second, can Bosh and O’Neal stay out of each other’s way? Oh, and a bonus question: Can O’Neal finally stay healthy?
3. Michael Curry takes the reins. Of all the storylines around new coaches in the league this year—Mike D’Antoni in New York, Rick Carlisle in Dallas, Larry Brown in Charlotte, Terry Porter in Phoenix, etc.—Curry is the most interesting. He’s basically been brought in to win a championship, and anything less will be a disappointment. That’s a good bit of pressure. To get that title, he needs to motivate a veteran core that feels a little stale, while working into the rotation a talented group of young players with very high expectations. Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo are the future of this franchise, but the old guys in the starting five are still the base of the present. It will be up to Curry to get the youth and the veterans fully integrated, something his predecessor, Flip Saunders, was unable to do.
4. Establishing the Brand. Andre Iguodala has established himself as the franchise player in Philadelphia. But the Sixers imported another franchise player in the offseason, adding Elton Brand as a free agent and suddenly giving the team the look of a contender. They’re deep, they have a mix of youth and experience, and they play both ends of the floor. But popping one franchise player next to another does not always work. It’s hard to imagine Iguodala and Brand engaging in any ego-driven haggling over who’s the man in Philly, but it will require some shuffling to establish an offense that takes advantage of Brand’s post and midrange skill, as well as Iggy’s passing and slashing. Let’s see what Mo Cheeks has in that playbook.
5. Young Wiz.