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Boston Celtics Will be Tested Right Away

By Joshua Bateman

Feb 5, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics can’t waste any time getting into form with a challenging stretch to open the season

The Boston Celtics are expected to take a big step as cementing themselves as contenders in the eastern conference this season, and they will not have to wait long until they will be tested by the best the east has to offer. Following an opening day meeting against arguably the worst team in the league in the Brooklyn Nets, their next four games are against teams that should all by vying for a top three spot in the east.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are clearly the biggest test, but the Celtics have two games against the Chicago Bulls and one against the Charlotte Hornets.

Unfortunately, the timing for this test may to be ideal for the Celtics. They have an opportunity to prove some things in their first games, but if their rotation is anything like it was at the beginning of last year, there will be an adjustment period that could hurt them before they get a proper opportunity to establish the chemistry they need.

The Celtics are also in a position where arguably their best player in Al Horford will have no experience on the team. Horford is far from a concern for the Celtics, but he needs to make sure he is comfortable in Stevens’ system right out of the gate.

May 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) grabs a rebound behind Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) during the second half in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) grabs a rebound behind Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) during the second half in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

In addition to being tested with the competition on the court, the Celtics will be getting a healthy dose of national exposure to open up the season. Their first game against the Bulls will be on TNT, their second game against the Bulls will be on ESPN and their game against the Cavaliers will also be on TNT.

The Celtics have proven that they will always exercise patience and those opening five games may have very little to say about how the season unfolds. That being said, the east is expected to be even more competitive this year and if the Celtics want a top three seed, they cannot afford to be lagging out of the gate.

The Bulls and the Celtics are expected to be competing for the same spots in the east this year, and these two early games could end up playing a significant role in terms of seeding further down the line.

Bottom line is that as good or as bas as the Celtics may look during the tough stretch to open the season, there will be time to make up for it in either direction. That being said, the Celtics will be looking to set a tone and the kind of success they have early on could have an impact on the rotation.

The Celtics stuttered out of the gate last year, and it was abundantly clear that they had a lot of issues in their front court. The key for the Celtics during this stretch will be looking for the stability in their rotation. There are question marks about the starting power forward and the second unit could have a lot of different faces with significant roles.

If the Celtics can find that unit and rotation that can be successful then they should be able to avoid the clutter that hurt them early on last year.

Stevens has done a great job of getting the Celtics to settle in and play their best during the second half of the season. There has been a lot of uncertainty and youth on this roster and that has left Stevens with one of the more chaotic rotations in the league, particularly for a team that was able to make the noise they did in the east.

If the Celtics can find that stability and consistency early on, then they can avoid the kind of inconsistent play that hurt them all of last year. As good as they were, they had some disastrous stretches with loses against some of the worst teams in the league. Consistency could be the key to getting that number two seed for the Celtics and there will be no confidence that they can have a consistent rotation until they see what they can do early on.

The Celtics want to separate themselves from teams like the Bulls and Hornets and put themselves right there with the Cavaliers. Unfortunately, the Celtics have a lot of work to do if they want to get that kind of separation, and it may be unrealistic to expect them to have a distinct advantage right off the bat.

The Celtics have done a great job of improving as a team as the season goes on. Having success during those first challenging games could be a tone setter for the first portion of the season, and you know the Celtics will bring all the intensity they need.

Next: Celtics Season Will be Defined by March Road Trip

The good news for everyone is that the Celtics should have exciting and competitive games to open up the season. They were given those 22 nationally televised games largely because of the excitement they brought to the league last year, and fans should not have to wait long to get a taste of that again this season.

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