Breaking down the Celtics schedule

We’ve all seen it by now. On Thursday, the NBA released the Boston Celtics schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Joe Mazzulla’s team will begin the new season without Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to rehab following surgery. An official timeline hasn’t been set for his return. However, the common consensus seems to be late December or early January.

Outside of Porzingis, the Celtics are expected to enter the season at full strength. Baylor Scheierman is the only new face on the main roster. He will undoubtedly fight to earn some playing time throughout his rookie season but will face an uphill battle trying to crack into a championship-winning rotation.

The Celtics have favored continuity this summer, a move that will likely pay dividends if everybody remains on the same page as last season.

With all that being said, Boston’s chances of success will come down to the internal development of the roster. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can still add wrinkles to their game. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard are young enough to continue improving. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will be a stronger duo in year two.

You can go down the entire roster and give reasons why the Celtics could be better than last year. I’m sure we’ll do just that at some point in the dead of the offseason, but not today. Today, I want to look at each month of the upcoming season so we can pick out the key games, potential traps, and underrated matchups.

October

The Boston Celtics’ NBA schedule for October.

nba.com

Key Dates:

The season officially starts on October 22. Two days earlier, I would have turned 37 years young. I always love how the NBA gives me an awesome gift by starting the season around my birthday.

Mazzulla’s team will play five games in the opening 10 days as they get eased into things before the schedule picks up pace. Still, matchups against the Knicks, Bucks and Pacers will ensure that there’s no grace period for the reigning NBA champions.

All three of those teams will come into the season believing they can challenge for a championship. New York added Mikal Bridges this summer, building on the addition of OG Anunoby last season. They will be one of the toughest teams in the East and will have a legitimate defensive identity. Beating them on opening night won’t be easy.

I’ve still got my questions about the Bucks. Yes, they added Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr. and Delon Wright during the summer, but the bigger questions about their roster continue to linger. Can Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard figure it out? Can Brook Lopez continue to anchor their defense? And will we ever see Khris Middleton bounce back to his best?

Indiana is a fun test. They play fast. They play hard. They’re young, hungry and talented. And they have a score to settle following their Eastern Conference Finals loss.

In between those games, Boston has trips to Washington and Detroit. Both of those games should end in wins. The Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons are rebuilding teams. Boston should be fresh enough to have no concern over potential trap games, and the travel shouldn’t be enough of a factor here, either.

Toughest game: The Milwaukee Bucks. I feel like they have the most to prove out of these five teams after their second straight first-round exit last season. They’ll have this game circled on their calendar for sure.

November

Key dates:

November is a tricky one. The Celtics have a total of 14 games in 30 days, with a perfectly even split of road and home games. They also have their NBA cup schedule sprinkled into the month, where they will face the Atlanta Hawks, Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls.

In case you missed it, Tim Sheils and I shared thoughts on Boston’s favorable NBA Cup schedule earlier this week.

My first major game of the month is the Nov. 6 matchup against the Warriors. Sure, the Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals win will ensure there’s some level of increased intensity, but in truth, it’s because this will be the first time Jayson Tatum faces off against Steve Kerr after his mistreatment during his time with Team USA in Paris.

I want Tatum to have a monster night. It doesn’t have to be an explosive scoring performance, either…In fact, I think I would prefer a triple-double with something like 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, just to prove that he’s capable of so much more than standing in the corner.

Boston will face the Bucks for the second time on Nov. 10, and the outcome of October’s game will likely set the stage.

The Nov. 19 matchup against the Cavaliers (which is also an NBA Cup game) will be interesting. It will be the first matchup between these two teams since the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Cleveland will be a different test than last season due to the arrival of Kenny Atkinson as their head coach. He will likely have them playing a more offensive game and could unlock the backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. That matchup won’t be a walk in the park for the Celtics.

However, the toughest period comes late in the month when the Celtics will face the Timberwolves and Clippers in a back-to-back at the TD Garden.

Chris Finch’s team is a genuine contender out West and will undoubtedly look to build on their strong showing last season. Anthony Edwards will be a stern test for Holiday and White, while it will be interesting to see how Mazzulla looks to manipulate the double-big pairing of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.

Furthermore, Ty Lue’s team will also look different after the departure of Paul George. The Clippers have been active this offseason, adding five new faces to the rotation:

Mo Bamba
Nic Batum
Kris Dunn
Derrick Jones Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr.

I’m expecting the Clippers to be a vastly improved defensive team. If Kawhi Leonard can stay healthy and step into a (even more) heavily featured role on offense, Lue’s team could be a serious threat. The Clippers’ moves this summer have made them a far more balanced roster.

Toughest game: I feel like it will be against the Clippers. The Timberwolves will be a tough test for Boston. Having to come back the next night and face Lue’s roster, with some tired legs and sore muscles, will be a big test for the Celtics.

December

Key Dates:

We also get a couple of firsts in December.

First game against the Heat.
First game against the 76ers
And the first game against the Orlando Magic

All three of those matchups are interesting, and all three will be tough nights.

We also get Marcus Smart’s (hopeful) return when the Memphis Grizzlies come to town on Dec. 7. I’m really intrigued to see how a healthy Grizzlies team performs and where Smart fits within that rotation.

Anyway, December starts off with a tough week. The Celtics will go back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Heat on the 1st and 2nd. There’s some travel involved there, too. Boston will be on the road for their game against the Cavs before heading back home to face the Heat.

A game against Detroit is sandwiched between two off days before another back-to-back sees the Celtics face the Bucks for the 3rd time and an interesting matchup against Memphis.

That second back-to-back is followed by a decent-sized gap, during which the remainder of the NBA Cup will play out in Las Vegas. I’m not going to comment on that because right now, we don’t know how things will play out in terms of scheduling and whether the Celtics will be making that trip.

Once the regular schedule ramps back up, Paolo Banchero will have the opportunity to put his money where his mouth is after claiming the Magic have a shot at earning the first seed next season during a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take.

“We feel like we’re right there,” Banchero said. “We’re right there with all those teams…We were right there last year. We got better this year. I got better. All of us got better. We got some new pieces that are gonna help us a lot. We’re trying to make some noise. I think we should easily be a top-four, top-three team and have a chance to win the East.”

And then, you have the Christmas Day game. The marquee matchup. Two rivals go head-to-head while we unbutton our pants, pour out some liquor and get into our comfiest chair to watch the game. This will be Boston’s first test against the new-look Sixers. Our first taste of what Paul George brings to Nick Nurse’s team and whether his presence is going to help bridge the gap between the two sides.

I’ve been vocal about my concerns regarding the Sixers and their commitment to two injury-prone stars. In truth, that’s not really our concern, but it can certainly affect the Celtics’ bid to repeat last season’s success.

Toughest game: Christmas Day. The bright lights will be shining. The world will be watching. And the Sixers will be out to prove their credentials as a genuine championship contender. The Celtics must bring their A-game if they want to enjoy the festivities to the fullest extent.

January

Key Dates:

Things start to heat up in January. The Celtics have two separate West Coast road swings to contend with. They start the month with road games against the Timberwolves, Rockets, Thunder and Nuggets.

Both Oklahoma and Denver will be interesting tests for Boston. The two Western Conference standouts play vastly different styles of basketball but continue to be highly successful.

The Thunder is a young, hungry and well-coached team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a top-10 player, is leading the charge. His pace, processing speed and scoring versatility will be a tough test, especially with Chet Holmgren spacing the floor. Fortunately for Boston, Porzingis should be back in the rotation by this point. How game-ready he is and the type of impact he will make remain to be seen.

Denver’s offseason has been somewhat perplexing. Losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency was a big blow. The fact the franchise has lost two high-level glue guys in two years has also raised some eyebrows. The addition of Russell Westbrook could make or break their chances this season.

Once the Celtics return to the East Coast, they will face the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans as the West Coast heads East. Both teams are impressive in their own way and are young enough that internal development could see them take another leap.

I’m excited to see Zion Williamson against Boston’s defense. The Kings are always an interesting opponent in that they’re either going to get blown out or force the game right to the wire.

Later in the month, another monster West Coast road will swing. The Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, and Mavericks will all be waiting for the Celtics toward the end of January as Mazzulla’s team is forced to run a gauntlet of potential NBA Finals opponents.

Of course, the Lakers game is the one that should have us all excited. Tatum will likely show up for both games in Los Angeles, and Brown’s ability to get hot early could be vital as we get our first taste of a JJ Redick-led Purple and Gold roster.

Toughest game: Lakers. We all know why. And none of us would want it any other way.

February

Key Dates:

Feb. 2 + 20 vs. Sixers
Feb. 6 vs. Mavericks
Feb. 8 + 23 vs. Knicks
Feb. 12 vs. San Antonio Spurs

February feels like it could greatly impact where teams finish toward the top of the East. There are two games against Philly, two against New York, and two against Cleveland. If Boston can find a way to come through all of those unscathed, their chances of securing the first seed will take a major step forward.

I think the Feb. 12 game against the Spurs will be fun. Victor Wembanyama will be coming to town right before the All-Star break. Usually, teams begin to take their foot off the gas ahead of a much-needed recharging period. However, if Wemby is on the court, the Celtics must bring their A-game.

By now, Porzingis should be firmly back in the rotation and up-to-speed. That matchup against Wemby will be a battle of the Unicorns — a battle that Porzingis got the better of last season.

Dallas will be heading back to the TD Garden for the first time since the NBA Finals. The hope is that Boston gives them another beatdown and reminds them of how it feels to lose in front of the Celtics fanbase before sending them on their merry way.

It’s also around this point in the season when the Heat usually starts picking up some steam. I’ve avoided mentioning them until this point. However, if Jimmy Butler and co. have started to build some momentum, they’re not a team you can take lightly. Of course, there are some questions about the Heat’s current roster construction and whether they’re capable of being a force in the East.

Still, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you can never count out an Erik Spoelstra team, regardless of how strong or weak they look on paper.

Two more games against the Sixers and Knicks will also be intriguing. We’re at the point where both teams will be tweaking their approach to try and find some gaps in the Celtics’ defense and figure out ways to slow them down. Assuming Porzingis (and the rest of the roster is healthy) this could be the first time New York and Philly face a full-strength Boston team — we could learn a lot in these games.

I also think that one of Boston’s most pivotal stretches begins in the final week of Feb and flows into March…

Toughest game: Lakers. We all know why. And none of us would want it any other way.

March

Key Dates:

March 2. vs. Denver
March 6. vs. Philly
March 8. vs. Lakers
March 12. vs. OKC
March 14. vs. Miami
The entire road swing March. 23 – 31

Shortly after the Celtics schedule was announced on Thursday, Tim Sheils and I pinpointed March as a potential swing month. The schedule starts with some grueling games against elite competition, all of whom are playoff-level teams.

There’s a slight reprieve in the middle of the month — no disrespect to Brooklyn. Before heading out on the road for the final West Coast trip of the season.

The reason I think this could be one of the most important stretches for Boston is that there’s very little room to get momentum back on track if the Celtics suddenly find themselves on a losing streak or the travel has slowed them down.

The final five games in March are an important pivot point. Fortunately, the worst road trip is already out of the way. Nevertheless, a trip to Phoenix on March 26 will be interesting. The Suns have plugged their ball-handling gap this summer, with Tyus Jones projected to be their starting guard to begin the season.

I’m curious how the Celtics will handle playing against such a high-powered offense, especially so late in the season. Hopefully, they turn up the defensive pressure and shut down Mike Budenholzer’s offensive gameplan early and often.

Toughest game: Lakers. We all know why. And none of us would want it any other way. At least this time, it’s on home turf.

April

Key Dates:

April. 2 vs. Miami

April. 4 vs. PHX

April. 13 vs. Charlotte

A nice short run to the finish line in April will see the Celtics play five home games out of seven. Miami will be a tough test this late in the season, especially if they’re fighting for seeding.

Phoenix at home will be an interesting one, too. The final two games against Charlotte must be approached with purpose. If seeding is still wide open, the Celtics can’t afford to fall into any trap games. Charles Lee will have a young and developing team at his disposal, and his coaching should ensure they’re a difficult out for whoever they face (assuming everyone is healthy.).

Toughest game: Miami at home. Spoelstra’s team could be highly motivated this late in the season, and that could make them a dangerous opponent.

CelticsBlog graciously allowed this article to be cross-posted from my “Celtics Chronicle” newsletter.

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