A Look At The Boston Celtics’ Tough First 10 Games

The Boston Celtics open their NBA season on Wednesday night at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are arguably one of the worst teams in the NBA, their roster has a bunch of players that not many NBA fans would recognize, and the Sixers know that this is going to be a rough season.

So the Celtics should start their season on a high note, but after that, their next nine-game stretch is certainly not very easy.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: The NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time

In this stretch, the Celtics face the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks all at home. The Celtics also face the Pacers again, the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets all on the road.

Boston is facing six playoff teams from last season, including elite Western Conference teams in San Antonio, Houston and Oklahoma City (who did not even make the playoffs). Teams like Toronto, Indiana and Milwaukee all arguably improved because they added new pieces to their squads that will help out. So how will the Celtics matchup with these teams in this stretch?

Home Games

The Celtics went 21-20 at home last season, but after the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas, they went 9-5 at home, which is a small sample size, but this was then the Celtics had their full playoff roster after multiple trades. Homecourt advantage did not seem to be that big of a factor for the Celtics last season, but the team is playing some heavily talented teams at home in their opening stretch.

More from Boston Celtics

• Why the new and improved Celtics are a major threat
• These two Celtics will be crucial to unlocking Kristaps Porzingis’ potential
• The new-look Celtics are closer than ever to an 18th title
• 3 Reasons Boston will regret trading Marcus Smart
• Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency

Boston had no problem dismantling Toronto last season on the road and at home towards the end of the season. They lost to the Raptors both times before they acquired Isaiah Thomas, but with a full roster the Celtics won on the road and in Boston.

The addition of DeMarre Carroll should help the Raptors against the Celtics, because he had some impressive games for the Hawks last season against Boston. He averaged 13.6 points per game in three games against the Celtics, which was a tad higher then his season average.

Kyle Lowry has also looked impressive in preseason play, averaging 22.0 points per game and he even went off for 40 points in one game. The Raptors are not going to be an easy win at home by any means.

A home game against Indiana and Washington should be a win for the Celtics because both frontcourts on the Wizards and Pacers should not intimidate Boston’s new frontline. Jae Crowder should be able to contain Paul George enough for the Celtics.

The Wizards game is a little more interesting because of their backcourt firepower against the gritty Celtics backcourt. Pay attention to this game. Washington has more stars, but lacks depth; the Celtics do not have any stars, but have a lot of depth.

Live Feed

Hardwood Houdini

The Celtics are going to have a very tough time beating Atlanta and San Antonio because, frankly, these teams are far too powerful on offense and defense. San Antonio will bully Boston in the paint with the addition of LaMarcus Aldridge. The Hawks averaged 100.6 points per in three games against the Celts last season, and that should not drop off too much despite losing Carroll.

Road Games

The Celtics went 19-22 on the road last season, and they have some rough opening road games to start the year. Boston is probably going to lose (sorry Celtics fans) to Houston and Oklahoma City on the road. Both teams have far too much firepower and athleticism for the C’s to handle. Superstars like James Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are all hungry for a ring this season, because Harden was a series away last year and Durant and Westbrook know this could be their last shot together in OKC.

The Celtics play the Pacers on the road, which should be a winnable game, but Paul George is another player that is going to be on the road for redemption, especially at home. The Bucks will be a winnable game as well because the Bucks have a very new team with a lot of length and they might need some time to adjust to their new teammates.

Milwaukee struggled to score last year, as they were 22nd in the league at 97.8 points per game. The Celtics should not have many problems with this team on offense, and the Celtics will be able to score with their new additions in the frontcourt, since Greg Monroe is not a very good rim protector.

Overall

Watch for the Celtics to hold their own after they hopefully dismantle the Sixers on opening night. If all goes right for Boston, they should go 5-4 after this rough nine-game stretch. If that stretch goes badly for the Celtics, they obviously would start the season in a hole, so they need to step up big in their opening 10 games.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Opening Week

More from Hoops Habit

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout