By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

The Celtics have reached the halfway point of the regular season and there are more questions then answers as we turn to the second half of the campaign.  Boston has a 28-13 record; good enough for a 7 game lead in the Atlantic Division and the second best record in the East behind only Cleveland.  But there are many things to ponder before the Celts take on the Clippers tomorrow night in their 42^nd game of the season.  Here are 5 key questions that need to be answered in the second half of the season.

1. Why has the Garden not been a great home court advantage this season?

The Celtics are only 12-7 so far at home.  Are the players getting complacent at home?  Great teams take care of their home court.  With 23 home games in the second half, the Celtics need to flex their muscles by racking up wins at home.

2. Is Kevin Garnett going to be healthy?

Garnett just returned on Friday night against the Blazers and looked pretty good in 30 minutes of action.  But can he stay healthy the rest of the season?  I wrote several months ago that his health is the key to the season for the Celtics.  Boston’s uneven play without him only underlines this.  They need Garnett healthy to secure a top seed and then to win in the playoffs.

3. Are the Hawks the Celtics kryptonite?

Atlanta has beaten the Celtics all three times they have met this season.  Granted two were without Garnett.  But there’s no getting past the fact the Hawks present a lot of problems for the Celtics.  They are young and athletic, two departments that aren’t strengths for the Celts.  The two teams meet Friday for the final time this season.  A Boston win would be big.  These teams could meet again in the playoffs and we all remember what happened when they met in the 2008 postseason.  The #8 seed Hawks took the heavily favored #1 seed Celtics to a 7th game.

4. Will Marquis Daniels’ return provide a spark?

The reserve guard hasn’t played since December 4^th.  He recently had the cast removed from his thumb and could return before the All Star Break.  His presence off the bench should help on both ends of the floor.  He is able to give Ray Allen and Paul Pierce more rest, which will be important as the long season rolls along into the spring.

5. What playoff seed will they end up with?

There are four very good teams in the East and the Celtics are clearly one of them.  I say they will definitely get to the second round of the playoffs (knocks on wood three times).  But whether they have home court advantage in the second round will depend on how the rest of the season goes.  They will need to chase down Cleveland for the best record in the conference and hold off Orlando and Atlanta.  It will be very interesting to see how it shakes out between these four teams, but exciting indeed.

Popularity: 9% [?]