Celtics 2015-16 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

Brad Stevens' second season at the helm as the head coach of the Boston Celtics couldn't have gone much better. Despite a young, largely unproven roster, the Celtics reached 40 wins—a 15-game improvement from 2013—and made the postseason in the weak Eastern Conference. 

Yes, the team was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. No surprise there. But the fact that the Celtics showed marked improvement—and continued to bolster the roster this offseason—has many folks excited about the team's prospects for the 2015-16 season.

Not that they are considered championship contenders just yet. According to Odds Shark, the team has 75-1 odds to win the title this year. 

For the Celtics, then, this season is really about three things:

1. Building off of last year's success and showing continued improvement
2. Returning to the postseason
3. Figuring out which players on a pretty deep roster fit together and represent the future of this team

The first goals should be a given. There hasn't been a ton of roster turnover this offseason, outside of the addition of forwards David Lee and Amir Johnson and draftees Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey. Meanwhile, Jae Crowder was re-signed, meaning last year's playoff roster was bolstered, not rebuilt.

"For the most part, I like the moves we have made," star guard Isaiah Thomas told Jay King of MassLive.com in early July. "And I know [general manager Danny Ainge] is probably trying to make more to get better or more players to fit whatever he's trying to do. I'm down for what he's doing and I like the new guys."

The second goal isn't guaranteed, especially since a few teams in the Eastern Conference improved this offseason. The Miami Heat aren't going to miss the playoffs again. The addition of Nicolas Batum to pair with Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker makes Charlotte playoff contenders. A healthy Paul George and the addition of Monta Ellis makes Indiana a team worth watching this year, while the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors improved last season's playoff rosters. 

The Celtics are deep. They have solid players. But do they have an identity?

After all, they now have three ball-handlers in Thomas, Marcus Smart and Rozier. Evan Turner's role going forward remains unclear. Will Hunter be enough to address the team's need for perimeter shooting on the wing? How many power forwards does one team need?

Without question, this is a team with some pretty big question marks going forward. The Celtics' greatest strength, their depth, may also be indicative of their biggest weakness: the lack of a clearly defined starting unit. Those are questions for Stevens to answer, however, and after the job he did last year, he seems up to the task.

Here is a look at the complete Boston schedule for the 2015-16 season, per NBA.com. 

Analyzing Marquee Matchups

Cleveland Cavaliers: Dec. 15, Feb. 5 and March 5

Steven Senne/Associated Press

You always want a crack at the team that knocked you out of the playoffs the year before, and the Celtics are no exception, even if that means a matchup against the Eastern Conference's top team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Of course, maybe the team isn't so keen on running into LeBron James again, who averaged a cool 27.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in Cleveland's four-game sweep of the Celtics. On the other hand, the Celtics need to start measuring themselves against the top teams in the league, and the Cavs present that opportunity. 

The Celtics went 2-6 against the Cavs last year in the regular season and playoffs. It's time to improve on that mark.

Toronto Raptors: Oct. 30, Jan. 20, March 18 and March 23

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

The Raptors were the class of the Atlantic Division last season and the team the Celtics are going to have to go through if they hope to be division champs. That won't be easy, as Toronto made excellent moves this offseason, adding DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola and Delon Wright.

The teams split the season series a year ago, and each appears to have gotten better this year, so these matchups could be really intriguing and could have major implications in the division race. Toronto is the better team on paper, however, and seems to have a more defined identity heading into the season, so the Celtics are going to face an uphill battle catching the Raptors this year.

Record Predictions

The Celtics will be better this year, but how much better?

Probably not much. This feels like a team that will get to .500 on the year, but this might finally be the year that simply getting to .500 doesn't guarantee a playoff spot in the East. The Celtics are a victim of having too much of a good thing at certain positions, not enough of a good thing at others and simply no great things on the roster.

Last year, Stevens led a group of young players who would be role players on most teams to the postseason. That isn't going to cut it. Unless Ainge swings a few deals during the season, this feels like a team that will go 41-41 and just miss out on a playoff spot in the somewhat stronger Eastern Conference.