Boston Celtics' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December
The Boston Celtics have been one of the league’s more exciting young teams, but that youthful exuberance hasn’t translated into many wins in November.
Luckily the team has a chance to right this losing trend with a creampuff December schedule, one that sees them go on no road trip longer than two games and play just a trio of Western Conference foes.
The C’s have been competitive in nearly every game they’ve played this season, losing close contests with the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns already in 2014-15.
Now, they get to spend most of the holiday season battling against their middling Atlantic Division foes and a host of mediocre Eastern Conference squads.
In fact, Boston only plays four teams with records above .500 (as of Nov. 25) in the entire month.
The Celts are a paltry 1-6 against teams above .500 so far, albeit with some close losses, but they’ve done a better job taking care of weaker competition.
Since we’ve gotten a good sense of what kind of team the 2014-15 Celtics are thus far, let’s break down their December schedule.
As a team with plenty of veteran pieces and the potential to trade assets and tank, this month could have huge implications for the team’s future.
Week 1: Dec. 1 to Dec. 7
1 of 5
Dec. 2: Atlanta Hawks (Road)
Dec. 3: Detroit Pistons (Home)
Dec. 5: Los Angeles Lakers (Home)
Dec. 7: Washington Wizards (Home)
Key Matchup: Washington Wizards
The Celtics’ first week starts off with a bit of a challenge, as the Atlanta Hawks have been playing good basketball of late and present some matchup problems. Boston’s frontcourt will have its hands full trying to cover Al Horford and Paul Millsap, and the Hawks bomb even more threes than the Celts (24.5 per game).
Still, the C’s should be able to contain Jeff Teague and the Hawks backcourt in the game, making this a close contest.
The Detroit Pistons have been brutal this season, scoring just 92.2 points per game on 41 percent shooting overall.
Their mismatched frontcourt has been a huge source of their woes, but it could still be a boon against Boston. Josh Smith and Greg Monroe remain tough covers, and while Andre Drummond has been mediocre thus far in 2014-15 he can still rebound and protect the rim against the likes of Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk.
The Los Angeles Lakers, save for some flashes of Kobe Bryant brilliance, have been ghastly this year and shouldn’t be too much of a concern. They’re giving up a league-worst 111.6 points per game and the Celtics’ new offensive system should give their underwhelming defense fits.
Unless Bryant and Nick Young are on fire from the perimeter this would be a dreadful game to lose.
The Washington Wizards present Boston’s first truly stiff challenge, as they’ve raced to a 9-3 start thanks to stellar play from John Wall and solid contributions from players like Paul Pierce and Marcin Gortat.
Washington is an athletic, competent team on both ends of the court that attacks the rim and should be able to put serious pressure on the Celts defense.
Prediction: 2-2
Week 2: Dec. 8 to Dec. 14
2 of 5
Dec. 8: Washington Wizards (Road)
Dec. 10: Charlotte Hornets (Road)
Dec. 12: New York Knicks (Home)
Key Matchup: Charlotte Hornets
This stretch seems easy, as both the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets have been off to woeful starts, but they are both talented teams that should not be taken for granted.
Charlotte is a dismal 2-8 in their last 10 games and has sputtered despite the offseason additions of Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams. Their offense is anemic (94.1 points per game, 26th in the league), and Stephenson has not meshed well with Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker.
Still, Charlotte is loaded with talent and will be on the tail end of a homestand when Boston comes to town.
The C’s have a shot, but they’re going to need Rajon Rondo, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley to lock down the backcourt and hope Jefferson doesn’t haunt his former squad.
Life in the triangle offense hasn’t been easy for the Knicks, and they’re just 3-5 at home, but if Carmelo Anthony’s healthy, he’s a handful for any defense.
Boston has the chance to run on the Knicks and put up plenty of points, as New York allows the second-worst three-point percentage in the league (41.9 percent).
A big game from Anthony or a throwback performance from Amar’e Stoudemire could spell trouble for Boston, but neither of those are a guarantee and Derek Fisher’s squad has looked like a mess on both ends of the court.
Another tilt with the Wizards, even if they’re missing Nene, should be a tough matchup. The Wiz are 6-2 at the Verizon Center, which has quietly become one of the toughest places in the league to win.
Washington is vulnerable to the three-pointer, but they have the size down low to hurt the Celts and we all know Kris Humphries is due for a revenge game for the ages against his former team.
Prediction 1-2
Week 3: Dec. 15 to Dec. 21
3 of 5
Dec. 15: Philadelphia 76ers (Road)
Dec. 17: Orlando Magic (Home)
Dec. 19: Minnesota Timberwolves (Home)
Dec. 21: Miami Heat (Road)
Key Matchup: Miami Heat
Realistically, Boston has a great shot to go 4-0 in Week 3, but by the time they face the Miami Heat on the road they could be a little fatigued.
The Celts bested the Philadelphia 76ers 101-90 on the road already, and it's unlikely the Sixers are going to pose much of a threat in the second go-around.
Sure, Michael Carter-Williams has been playing himself into shape, but besides MCW and Tony Wroten, Philadelphia has no punch offensively.
The Orlando Magic are a young, high-variance team filled with elite athletes, but they have only four road wins in 10 tries this season, including a two-point victory over Philly and a five-point victory in Charlotte.
Nikola Vucevic, who’s averaging 19.3 points and 12.2 rebounds, could have a monster game and Victor Oladipo has looked good recently since returning from injury, but their lack of veterans is a real problem.
Unless Vucevic and Channing Frye torch the Boston frontcourt, this should be an easy win.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a frisky team, but their defense is ghastly (29th in points allowed per game at 110.3) and they’ve been bitten hard by the injury bug. Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic are all sidelined with ailments, and the youth brigade of Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad and Anthony Bennett aren’t going to win much by themselves.
The T-Wolves got a solid double-digit win in New York, but they also allowed an absurd 139 points to the New Orleans Pelicans and can’t seem to stop anyone.
Getting Thaddeus Young back will be a boon, but that still won’t make them a better team than the Celts.
Without Dwyane Wade, life has been predictably turbulent for the Miami Heat. Though they got off to a solid 5-2 start with wins over Washington, Toronto and Dallas, they’ve dropped five of eight contests since.
A hamstring injury has kept Wade out of the lineup, and Chris Bosh and Luol Deng simply aren’t enough to beat the league’s elite teams. Still, Bosh should be able to dominate, and Deng has the capacity to lock down Jeff Green and do some damage moving without the basketball.
Even if Wade isn’t healthy by Dec. 21, this is still going to be a tough task for the Celtics in hostile territory.
Prediction: 3-1
Week 4: Dec. 22 to Dec. 28
4 of 5
Dec. 23: Orlando Magic (Road)
Dec. 26: Brooklyn Nets (Home)
Dec. 27: Washington Wizards (Road)
Key Matchup: Washington Wizards
That’s right, the Celtics could go 0-3 against Washington in the span of one month.
Unfortunately, the Wiz are just a difficult matchup, and if Bradley Beal continues playing well since his return from a wrist injury, they’ll be too potent offensively.
That said, Boston has a great shot to go 2-0 in their other two contests to close out the month.
The C’s bested the Brooklyn Nets to open the season, hanging 121 points on the aging squad.
The Nets have lost six of their last seven contests, and while Deron Williams and Joe Johnson look good, neither is the superstar Brooklyn needs.
Kevin Garnett’s return will undoubtedly be emotional, but the big man can’t play 30-plus minutes per game and is a non-factor on the offensive end.
Playing in Orlando could present some problems for the C’s, but Orlando’s home crowd is far from raucous and Boston is simply a more experienced, better-coached unit.
Prediction: 2-1
Week 5: Dec. 29 to Dec. 31
5 of 5
Dec. 31: Sacramento Kings (Home)
Whether or not the Sacramento Kings have what it takes to make a run in the Western Conference, they are certainly good enough to put up a fight against Boston.
DeMarcus Cousins has been transcendent this season, and Boston simply doesn’t have a big man who can deal with his ability to score on the block, rebound and handle the basketball.
The C’s may be forced to try to check him with Brandon Bass, which hurts them offensively.
The Kings are still a young team, so playing on the road will always be a cause for concern, but they have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. They’re also 3-1 against sub-.500 teams, meaning they can take care of business against inferior foes.
This won’t be a cakewalk, but the resurgent Kings could very well leave TD Garden with a W to close out the year.
Prediction: 0-1
Final December Record: 8-7
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