The Celtics are pleased to announce that they've added an extra level to the bandwagon, and it's poised to start its run tonight at the Garden against Washington. This is the original bandwagon, mind you; not the auxiliary bandwagons the team expects to roll out over the course of the season.

Naysayers (and there are some) point out that the supporting cast around Ghidorah is untested and unreliable. OK, whatever. So their starting point guard, Rajon Rondo, is in his second year. What better on-the-job training than three stars who love to pass as much as they love to score? Passing is contagious, and Rondo already has the athletic ability to grow into being a solid PG. The center, Kendrick Perkins, isn't much of a scorer, but if you feed him the ball 6 inches from the basket, he can put it in. Which will happen, since opponents will be trying to double-team three guys at once. A good 8 points/12 rebounds a game will mark a successful season for Perk.

The new bench guys, we'll need a little more time to figure out. We know Posey (who's out tonight because of a pre-Celtics suspension) is a vicious defender. We know Eddie House is a good backup guard who can come in in the middle of the night and start hitting outside shots. Then we have the bench guys we already know. Leon Powe has an Oakley-like intensity and rebounding skills. Brian Scalabrine will benefit immensely from his chance to do the things he's good at (hustle, defense, energy) while not being burdened with having to do the things he's not so good at (be a key part of the offense).

Who knows how much we'll see the rookies, but Glen Davis has already proved he can play down low, and crack jokes. Gabe Pruitt and Brandon Wallace probably won't see much playing time unless there's [lights a prayer candle] a significant injury.

And of course, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and some guy named Garnett. This could be a fun year.

Meanwhile, down the hall from the Celtics' locker room, the Bruins' Run to Respectability continued. The B's almost blew the game, allowing Buffalo to erase a 2-0 lead and end regulation in a 3-3 tie. But Marco Sturm scored the gamewinner with less than a minute to go in overtime, and the Bruins, improbably, are tied for the fourth-best record in the Prince of Wales Eastern Conference.

If you didn't go trick-or-treating in Waban the other night, you missed out on a hell of an opportunity.

Finally, you'll have plenty to read today about the pending Pats-Colts game, but Bostonist, flush with excitement after the World Series, will be live-blogging the football game on Sunday. The game starts at 4:15; we may check in a little earlier to follow some of the Celtics-Raptors game. Make sure you give your commentin' fingers some care overnight Saturday. You have an extra hour this weekend, after all.

NBA/Getty photo by Brian Babineau, from Celtics.com.