The Boston Celtics are among the Eastern Conference's top teams with an 8-2 record. They should be proud of that, with all the doubts swirling about them before the season started. However, sad as it is to say, they have objectively had the NBA's weakest schedule.
Per ESPN, Boston's strength of schedule over their first 10 games has been .403, the worst in the NBA, meaning that of all 30 teams, the Celtics have had it the easiest. That will change over time, and now they're going to get a challenge tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, there is a glass-half-full viewpoint to this. Even if Boston has had it easy, what's encouraging isn't just that they are winning, but that they are blowing out their competition. Sean Grande pointed out that Boston is top four in both offensive and defensive rating. Their net rating ranking No. 1 in the league proves that they have been dominant overall as a team.
If their net rating was in the middle of the pack, that's when it becomes concerning. That is indicative of a team that isn't as good as their record makes them look. It's very possible that Boston isn't as good as their record indicates because their schedule has been easy, but at least they have been throttling their easy competition when given the chance.
By extension, that's what's going to make this Philadelphia matchup all the more exciting. The 76ers have also had a great start this season, but their schedule has also been pretty easy and they're not dominating their wins. In fact, the majority of their wins have all been close calls.
That doesn't mean they won't be a tough team to beat tonight. It means that tonight is a good litmus test for the Celtics' abilities.
They've done this despite the growing pains
Even though the Celtics have thrived, the process has not been easy. We're only now starting to see Mitchell Robinson look like a better fit in Boston after a pretty awful start. Payton Pritchard has had his moments, but hasn't been consistent. Jayson Tatum has looked fantastic, but his efficiency has taken a bit of a dip.
Even with that, they are still winning games that they should be winning. Now, here comes the next step: beating teams they consider to be in the same tier as them. They have lost against two teams also considered to be in the NBA's upper echelon, Detroit and Houston, but neither of those losses was that discouraging to watch.
At the same time, moral victories only have so much savor before we need to see actual victories. The Celtics have proven that they have the right process, but now they have to show it against the teams that are going to challenge it. That makes the 76ers a worthy foe tonight.
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