WALTHAM, Mass. — The Celtics played their hearts out in the playoffs last season, eventually losing in seven games to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

They got that far without the heart and soul of their team, Kevin Garnett, who missed the entire playoffs with a sprained right knee.

But, according to Yahoo!Sports, it turns out that there was more going on behind the scenes than just Garnett missing in action.

A mere six days before the playoffs, the Celtics were blown out by Cleveland, 107-76, in Cleveland. On the plane trip home, Yahoo is reporting, against the advice of Doc Rivers, point guard Rajon Rondo called a player’s only meeting so that the players could air out everything that was going on within the locker room.

Some of the older players had issues with some of the younger players and vice versa. Word is that the meeting didn’t resolve anything, and it did more harm than good.

That is all in the past now. Rondo has a better understanding of what Boston’s veterans want from him, and they have a better understanding of what he was and is trying to accomplish.

The goal for everyone this season is to win the NBA title.

A year older, wiser, and more talented, Rondo plans on quarterbacking the Celtics to the NBA championship this season.

He also hopes to re-sign with the Celtics, who have until Halloween to extend his contract or he will become a restricted free agent next summer.

The Celtics have Rondo at a bargain price of $2.6 million this season, but after averaging nearly a triple-double in the playoffs last year (16.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.7 rebounds), he is due for a big raise.

"I try not to focus on it,” Rondo said of his contract negotiations. “What’s going to happen is going to happen. I’m trying to get a ring.

“I don’t think it’ll be on my mind. I won’t allow it to affect me during the season. Of course, everyone wants security and it’d be great if I could sign now, but the focus is a ring. I’ll let my agent (Bill Duffy) handle the contract stuff, and I’ll just play."

Not the real Cavaliers

The Celtics will begin their season with a road trip to Cleveland, where they will play the other preseason favorite to win the East in the Cavaliers.

Their 96-82 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday was not a barometer for what they expect to happen in both teams’ season opener.

The Cavs focused on chemistry instead of winning with 11 players on the injured list as late as a week before the game. They didn’t run a lot of their normal plays.

The Celtics, meanwhile, rested Garnett, Ray Allen, Glen Davis and Brian Scalabrine.

Lue working for Celts

The Celtics announced at practice today that NBA veteran Tyronn Lue has become their director of basketball development.

Jeff Twiss, the Celtics’ director of media relations, insists that Lue’s playing days are over, and he is on the Celtics only to assist the coaching staff and observe practices and will not be in a player-coach capacity like Sam Cassell was two years ago.

Lue played the last 11 years as a point guard in the NBA, for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks.

He had a career average of 8.5 points and 3.1 assists per game and won NBA titles in 2000 and 2001 with the Lakers. Lue did not speak to reporters after practice, but he did stick around after everyone else left to help Davis with his jumper.

Allen not thinking contract

Ray Allen is in the last year of his contract, but that will not be weighing on his mind this season, he said.

“I don’t worry about it,” Allen said. “I’ve been in this position before, so when I signed my contract, it was for five years, and it is amazing when I think about when I signed it then, that five years went by quickly. I’m looking forward to a new year.”

Allen, a nine-time All-Star, averaged 18.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Celtics last year.

Like the rest of his teammates, he said the Celtics had one goal this season: to win the NBA title.

roblee@projo.com