Boston Celtics Need a Fast Start

The Boston Celtics are finally entering a season with positive expectations. The past few seasons have been accompanied by expectations to tank and it is a refreshing change to see the Celtics in playoff discussions before the season has even started.

The only problem is that all those expectations may come to a halt early on during the season. Before the Celtics have back to backs against the Brooklyn Nets they will have to deal with the Raptors, the Spurs, the Wizards the Hawks, the Pacers, the Thunder, the Rockets and the Mavericks.

8 of their first 11 games are against playoffs teams and they are getting the very best of the west. The Celtics have the kind of schedule that may lead to a disastrous start which may then rekindle discussions of tanking.

Another problem the Celtics may face during this stretch is chemistry. There is some sense of security considering how fast the Celtics meshed together following the all star break last year but the team will need to find a way to get David Lee and Amir Johnson comfortable, while also finding a way to get rookies R.J Hunter, Jordan Mickey and Terry Rozier used to Stevens’ system.

December 3, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors power forward Amir Johnson (15) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics have a lot of key players that will be suiting up for them for the first time and that can be a recipe for a disaster with how difficult their opening games are.

There is a silver lining to the difficult start and that is the potential that comes if they can be successful. This is the kind of stretch where successful does not necessarily mean winning the majority of the games. If the Celtics can manage to get out of the first 11 games just 1 game above or below .500 then they will be in a fantastic position.

After the Celtics endure that stretch they get the Nets twice and then another 4 of the next 6 games will be against teams that missed the playoffs last season.

If they Celtics can escape the first stretch in form then they will be able to build more of a cushion before having to face both finals teams in a three game span.

Having a good start can do more than just boost the Celtics in their standings because it can have a large impact on the mentality of a very young team. After last season there is nothing that will get the Celtics to quit but the confidence boost they can experience during those first weeks can be tremendous.

The Celtics need that confidence in order to enhance their chemistry. Last season the Celtics had absolutely no roster stability and if they can have a strong start to the season players will not have to be worried about significant roster changes.

The Celtics will still be in play for big trades at the trade deadline but if they can have a strong start it will be nothing like last season. It felt like each transaction was followed by another two transactions last season and no player on the team was safe.

Now that the Celtics feel like they are building a solid core a lot more players can feel secure with their spot on the team and that is where the true chemistry will emerge.

After how successful Stevens’ system was with a rotating door of players last year it should drastically improve with a full season of the same core playing in it.

The Celtics finally have playoff expectations but those will be shattered if they melt down at the beginning of the season. The Celtics have a lot of new additions and have built on their solid late season run from last year and they should be able to surprise a lot of people, even the highly feared top teams in the west.

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