It goes without saying that it’s always important to take care of business when you play against a lesser team in the NBA, but this season, it’s going to matter more than ever. That’s especially true in the Eastern Conference, as we’ve already seen the Celtics in two absolute dogfights, battling down to the wire against two teams with title aspirations in the Pistons and Knicks.
It may not be like that every night, but it’s not going to be a stroll in the park very often either. The fact is, the East is as deep as it has been in a long time. Beyond the Celtics, there are bona fide contenders in the Knicks, Pistons, 76ers, and Raptors. After that, you’ve got teams who certainly think they can get into that mix, like the Pacers, Cavaliers, Heat, Magic, and Hawks.
There are a couple of other teams who think they are playoff material, the Wizards and Hornets, and that leaves just three other teams: the Bucks, Nets, and Bulls. That trio is a clear step below the rest of the conference, but even then, these are proud teams with veteran players, and they aren’t just going to roll over and take their lickings.
So, it’s absolutely vital that the Celtics show up and do the job when they have these easier opponents on the schedule, which is the case on Monday night when they take on the Bulls at home. There’s no such thing as a must-win game in October, but soft spots on the schedule aren’t going to come around very often this season, and Boston has to take advantage.
Celtics must dominate Bulls, Bucks, Nets
In fact, after the Bulls, Boston faces the Nets, then the Bulls again, with two games against the Bucks the following week. I don’t want to stress this too much, but these are games that the Celtics need to win, because for the most part, things are going to be a lot more difficult.
Frontloading things with some easy games can be a gift and a curse. On the one hand, the Celtics will get to settle into the season a little bit and hopefully stack some wins, jumping out to a nice start. On the other hand, that means things are only going to get tougher, and later in the season, they’ll be facing playoff-caliber opponents on a regular basis. Adding to that, with the new draft lottery reform, there aren't going to be a lot of teams tanking down the stretch.
At the end of the day, the schedule is the schedule. Every team is going to have to face everyone else, and if you want to contend for a title, you have to beat the good teams as well. Having said that, the Celtics can sure make their lives easier by cleaning up against the dregs of the league when the opportunity presents itself, and that will be the case early and often over the next couple of weeks.
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