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Boston Celtics Begin Grueling Stretch Against Utah Jazz

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 13: The Boston Celtics huddle up before the game against the Denver Nuggets on December 13, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 13: The Boston Celtics huddle up before the game against the Denver Nuggets on December 13, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics have a brutal pat of the schedule beginning against the Utah Jazz

The Boston Celtics seem to have overcome the minor injury scares over the last few games, and with Marcus Morris looking like he could have a chance to return too, they need to be ready to get back to their best. The Celtics have a difficult stretch coming up, and it begins against the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz are not one of the most feared teams in the NBA, but they can present some problems to the Celtics. You know you will have that added incentive because of the Gordon Hayward decision, and this could be a tough, hard fought game for the Celtics, and that could wear them down to start out a brutal stretch.

The NBA changed how they did the scheduled to try and avoid more back to backs, and there really has not been a point yet this season where the schedule really looked like it hurt the Celtics. Right now, however, the Celtics will be tested in a new way.

Not only do the Celtics follow up the Jazz game with a back to back against the Grizzlies, but they also do that knowing they have another back to back coming a couple days later against the Heat and Knicks.

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Fortunately, the Jazz and Grizzlies have clearly been lesser teams than the Celtics this season. The Grizzlies are falling apart and the Jazz have been hovering around .500 this season. These are not bad teams, but they can be good teams, and they usually play with the kind of toughness that makes this back to back even more difficult.

It is a minor blip, but the last four games have been the worst stretch of the season for the Celtics. They have rotated wins and loses, and they really need to get back to stringing together many wins. A four game stretch like that will not do much damage to the overall standings. If, however, it spills over into these next sets of back to backs, then that 2.5 game lead could disappear.

Fortunately, the Celtics are looking like they are in good shape for this Jazz game. They are coming off two days rest, and Morris is the only injury question mark. Both Al Horford and Kyrie Irving have received some extra rest prior to this stretch, and it has kept the second unit active and ready to jump in when needed

Brad Stevens could still opt to use a deeper bench while being healthy, in order to preserve something for the rest of the stretch. The good news is that Stevens will be comfortable with how he uses his minutes, and there will not be much pressure one way or another.

The Celtics have been one of the best teams at beating the opponents that are weaker than them, but it is hard to get that Bulls loss out of the picture. The Celtics were able to bounce back, but in a hardly impressive performance against the Nuggets.

The way the Celtics put that Bulls loss behind them, and further cement their status as the top team in the Eastern Conference, is by handling this stretch without a problem. They do not have the health concerns that should threaten anything, and these are all games that the Celtics know they should win, even if they are not at their absolute best.

It would be nice to see the Celtics get their defense back on track. They are going against two teams that will not be able to best the Celtics in an offensive battle, but they can muck up the game, and lean on two of the best centers in the NBA in Rudy Gobert and  Marc Gasol.

Brad Stevens has done a great job on back to backs throughout his career, but this is the most top heavy team he’s had. He cannot lean on his depth as much to get to the best, and it will be interesting to see if Stevens can keep up the kind of success that has been important in previous seasons.

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The Celtics will be challenged during this stretch, and they need to take that as an opportunity to get back to playing at the level that will ensure they get that home court advantage in the playoffs.

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