Celtics 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
Optimism is high for the Boston Celtics heading into the 2016-17 season after winning 48 games last season, their most in five years.
There is a talented young core returning, headlined by Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas, and the addition of first-round draft pick Jaylen Brown, who will carry the Celtics in their quest to get back to the top of the Eastern Conference mountain.
In addition to the talent on the court, head coach Brad Stevens has established himself as one of the NBA's best in three seasons. He was supposed to be taking over a sinking ship that was rebuilding in 2013 but has led the Celtics to the playoffs each of the last two years.
The Eastern Conference has been dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers the last two years, but major turnover from the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat has paved the Celtics' way to take another step forward to challenge the defending NBA champions for the top spot.
2016-17 Season Details
Season Opener: vs. Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 26
Championship Odds: 25-1 (via Odds Shark)
Full Schedule: NBA.com
Top Matchups
Cleveland Cavaliers
First Home Matchup: Wednesday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET
First Away Matchup: Thursday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET
Legendary wrestler Ric Flair said, "to be the man, you gotta beat the man."
Even though the Golden State Warriors drew all of the headlines over the summer for landing Kevin Durant as a free agent, the Cavaliers are still the defending champions and the litmus test by which every Eastern Conference team is measuring itself against.
The Celtics have increased their win total each of the last two seasons, going from 25 wins in 2013-14 to 48 last year, but it's been an unusual trend for the franchise. There's been more of a lukewarm reaction to how they are winning, as opposed to a young team finding itself.
ESPN's Ryen Russillo noted leading up to the draft that other NBA general managers were not captivated by anyone on Boston's roster:
It's not an unfair assessment because Thomas wasn't highly regarded before he got to Boston, and Bradley is not a high-percentage shooter.
Yet because of the way Thomas and Bradley have jelled together, along with Stevens' coaching, the Celtics continue to defy the odds. They were able to be major players in free agency this summer, signing Al Horford to boost the center position.
The Celtics lost two of the three games they played against the Cavaliers last year during the regular season, allowing an average of 104 points per game.
Those numbers have to change if the Celtics hope to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
First Home Matchup: Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
First Away Matchup: Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Going right back to Flair's quote, the Celtics were looking up at the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division standings last year.
The Celtics and Raptors feel similar in that they don't get the full credit they deserve for being as good as they have been in recent years.
Going back to Russillo's tweet, the Raptors do at least have players other teams would love to get their hands on in a hypothetical trade, like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
These two teams met in the Celtics' second game of the season last year, losing 113-103, prompting Stevens to offer this assessment of his team, per Jay King of Mass Live:
"We're not moving the ball as well as we need to and we're not taking care of the ball as well as we need to. That's been for 96 minutes (over the first two games) consistent. So that will be a tell-tale thing for our team. If we turn the ball over like this we won't have a very good year. If we start valuing it a little bit, we'll be better. Now these are two of the teams (Philadelphia and Toronto) that have been very good in causing turnovers last year and in the preseason. But still, we've got to do a better job handling the ball.
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The Celtics were eventually able to figure things out after that, though they lost three of four games against the Raptors during the regular season.
Before the Celtics can worry about competing with the Cavaliers, their first step is taking over their own division. The Raptors have owned the Atlantic Division for the last three years, so they are the biggest obstacle standing in Boston's way when the 2016-17 season starts.
Record Prediction
The Celtics have been trending in the right direction for years, with the front office picking an opportune time to make a major investment in a prime free agent like Al Horford.
Now, though, the pressure is on this group to live up to those standards. There's certainly a good team to do it. Bradley and Thomas have been the stars, but Jae Crowder is coming off the best year of his career and Brown figures to play a big role in the frontcourt.
Stevens is the engine that makes the machine work. His assistant coach Jay Larranaga told Chris Mannix of The Vertical that Stevens is "the most prepared coach in the gym in every gym he is in.”
Coaching in the NBA often gets a bad rap simply because teams will dismiss the people on the bench in the blink of an eye because it's easier to do that than fire all of the players.
Yet when a team is fortunate to find a coach who comes in with the right mindset, preparedness, understanding of the game and how to communicate with players of all ages, it can change an entire franchise.
Gregg Popovich has certainly had his share of great players to work with, but there isn't a more respected or revered coach in the NBA because he has had the San Antonio Spurs in the title race every year since 1999.
Stevens is still looking for a Tim Duncan-type talent to push the Celtics over the top, yet the players he has have so completely bought into his system that their success is going to continue.
Once you get past Cleveland in the Eastern Conference, where are the dangerous teams coming from? The Raptors will still be good, but there are major questions behind them.
The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks added some marquee names, but betting on Rajon Rondo (Chicago) and Derrick Rose (New York) has made a lot of people look foolish in the past. Atlanta replaced Horford with Dwight Howard, who fits into that Rose-Rondo category.
Miami lost Dwyane Wade, and who knows what's going to happen with Chris Bosh's health. Charlotte's big offseason signing was Roy Hibbert.
The Celtics will enter the season as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. Their top-tier talent isn't as good as Toronto's, but in terms of depth, there isn't a better group in the Atlantic Division.
Prediction: 49-33
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