Ten Intriguing Games For The Celtics This Season

1) Tuesday, October 27, 2009: Celtics at Cavaliers. The inaugural game of the season usually holds a certain electricity in the air, but, much like last season, the opening of the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics season brings with it a storm of story lines. The LeBron James/Paul Pierce matchup is always fun, but what about this being the first time the starting five that won the 2008 NBA Championship for the Celtics takes the court together since February 19? Surely Celtics fans are more than ready to see Kevin Garnett return to the basketball court.

On top of that, it’s the debut of a slew of players for their new teams: Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams for the Celtics and Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon for the Cavs. And if that isn’t enough reason to watch already, the Quicken Loans Arena was something of a House of Horrors for the Celtics last season, as they posted an 0-2 record in Cleveland, losing by an average of 23.0 points. Will they be able to find comfort on Cleveland’s home court this year? And it should be mentioned that both these teams are arguably the favorites to win the Eastern Conference and are both coming off of 60-win seasons.

2) Friday, November 20, 2009: Celtics vs. Magic. Staying with the heavy weights of the Eastern Conference, November 20 will mark the first time these two teams have met since the Magic ousted the Celtics in Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.  With both teams making significant roster changes since their last encounter, this will be the first chance for the Celtics to prove they are indeed the superior squad. And if one game is not enough, these two teams will meet just over a month later in Orlando for a Christmas Day rematch.

3) Wednesday, January 20, 2010: Celtics at Pistons. Keep your eyes and ears on the crowd at the Palace of Auburn Hills on this night as Rasheed Wallace makes his return to Deeeetroit. Will the fans greet Wallace with a steady outpouring of affection for his key contributions to the 2004 championship team and his five and a half years of service? Or will they recoil at the sight of him, choosing to see him as the man whose heart and determination were steadily questioned throughout his last season in Michigan? Will a smattering of boos reign down on him every time he touches the ball, much like the way Boston fans prefer to treat Mike Bibby?

4) Tuesday, October 27, 2009 through Saturday, December 12, 2009: The first 23 games of the 2009-2010 season present a particularly daunting challenge to none other than Rajon Rondo. In 10 of those 23 games, Rondo will go head-to-head with Mo Williams (10/27/09), Derrick Rose (10/30/09), Chris Paul (11/1/09), Steve Nash (11/6/09), Devin Harris (11/7/09), Derron Williams (11/11/09), Jameer Nelson (11/20/09), Tony Parker (12/3/09), Gilbert Arenas (12/10/09) and Rose again (12/12/09). If you’re keeping score at home, all of those point guards, with the exception of Rose, have been elected to at least one All-Star Game, and after Chicago took the Celtics to seven games in the playoffs last year, it’s pretty clear cut that Rose will be getting that call soon as well.

5) Sunday, January 31, 2010/Thursday, February 18, 2010: Celtics vs. /at Los Angeles Lakers. It’s somewhat surprising the NBA didn’t spread these two games further apart, as, with the recent resurgence of both teams, this matchup is something of a ratings bonanza. By scheduling both meetings during what is often referred to as the “doldrums” of the NBA season, fans lose out on seeing the excitement of seeing this matchup at the start of the season or the thrill of seeing it towards the end of the season, especially if it holds significant weight in terms of the standings and the fight for home court advantage for either squad.

Also, by scheduling these games so close together, it takes away from any potentially dramatic situations, such as Boston entering the matchup riding a 19-game winning streak. By scheduling these games further apart from one another, the excitement and anticipation are able to mount once again, resulting in a renewed sense of urgency for the next game. I suppose we’ll have to make do with these two games and hope familiarity breeds some contempt.

6) Sunday, November 22, 2009: Celtics at Knicks. I’m paying little attention to the opponent for this game. It wouldn’t have mattered who the opponent was, as I’m particularly concerned with the start time of the game: 1:00pm. Last season, the Celtics faltered horribly in day games at the tail end of the season, posting a 1-5 record in their last six contests. With nine day games scheduled for next season as of right now, the C’s had better clean up their act when the sun is shining.

7) Sunday, December 20, 2009: Celtics vs. Timberwolves. Celtics fans only get to see Al Jefferson twice a year now, and no matter how many years go by, he will always receive a warm welcome in Boston. It’s one of those rare nights where we can almost put the outcome of the game on the back burner and cheer Jefferson on to a big game. It’s still a joy and a pleasure to watch Jefferson play basketball, as his repertoire is still so rare in today’s NBA.  

8) Friday, November 27, 2009: Celtics vs. Raptors. Boston ran away with the Atlantic Division two seasons ago, crushing second place Toronto by 25 games and last season was no different. Even with Kevin Garnett missing nearly the entire second half of the season, the C’s still won 62 games and won the Atlantic by 21 games. But with Toronto adding Hedo Turkoglu and the steady improvement of Andrea Bargnani, I’m very curious to see how much they improve. If they stay healthy, they’ll easily eclipse their 33 wins from last year. Let’s just see if they can get within 20 games of Boston in the Atlantic.

9) Friday, January 22, 2010: Celtics vs. Trailblazers. Back in the summer of 2007, we were tempted to call it Armageddon when we received the fifth pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which meant losing out on Greg Oden. Well, two seasons later, we have a championship and Oden’s rookie year amounted to these numbers: 61 games, 21.5 minutes, 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks. Our of a possible 164 regular season games he could have played in by now, Oden’s played in just 61. Let January 22 serve as a reminder to all what we attained by not attaining Greg Oden.

10) Thursday, December 3, 2009: Celtics at Spurs. With the addition of Richard Jefferson, I’m tempted to say the Spurs will come out of the Western Conference. Obviously health plays an unending factor, but you can never count out a team with Gregg Popovich at the helm. Even if these two teams don’t meet in the Finals, the Kevin Garnett-Tim Duncan and Rajon Rondo-Tony Parker battles are worth the price of admission. Throw in Paul Pierce and Ray Allen against Manu Ginobili and Jefferson and this has the makings for one of those instant classics.

Okay, so I couldn't actually pick just ten. The thrill of circling dates was just too strong. Why pick just 10 when all 82 have the potential to be great? The NBA is any given night, and no team can be taken lightly or be counted out going in. And with the steady improvements of the top contenders, this season has the potential to be one of the best in league history.