The NBA In-Season Tournament has already created some interesting scheduling quirks and the Celtics have an interesting slate of games coming up for the rest of December.
The next fpur games are at home, with two in a row against the Cleveland Cavaliers and two in a row against the Orlando Magic. Boston has played the Magic once already (the Mo Wagner revenge game as part of Group C play) and the Magic have been very successful against the Celtics in recent years (winning 3 out of 4 games last season). The Cavaliers have had similar success against the Celtics, winning 3 out of 4 games last season.
Both teams present challenging matchups with size and athleticism all around the court. So, this will be an interesting challenge. Seeing both teams back-to-back sort of simulates a mini playoff preview as each of the teams will have time to make adjustments between games.
After that double-double homestand, the Celtics head out West to play a number of quality opponents. Starting with the Warriors (2022 Finals rematch), then to Sacramento (last year’s version of the Pacers), and the two Los Angeles teams (with the Lakers game happening on Christmas Day). Road trips like this have a way of either bringing a team together in a good way, or exposing weaknesses to the world.
The schedule eases up after Christmas, finishing out the calendar year with games against the Pistons, Raptors, and Spurs.
Feel free to share your predictions on the record for the rest of December in the comments below.
