Month-By-Month Breakdown Of Celtics 2015-16 Schedule
BOSTON (CBS) - Training camp is just around the corner for the Boston Celtics, meaning we are just over a month away from opening night of the regular season at TD Garden on October 29th.
Boston's chances of winning their season debut couldn't be much better this year, thanks to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers being the first squad up on the docket. However, the road back to the postseason won't be easy this time around in the improved Eastern Conference, and the team's overall schedule will once again play a big role once again in the team's win-loss mark. Assessing the varying effects of long road trips, back-to-back games, and overall schedule strength over certain sections of the year is pivotal in evaluating this franchise at any point of the year.
Last year was a perfect example of this, as Boston started off the year below the .500 mark due to a brutal November set of matchups that featured 12 playoff opponents. The second half turnaround was a product of trades and roster additions, but there's no question a string of sub .500 opponents helped Brad Stevens put together a 24-12 record down the stretch as well.
How does the Celtics schedule look this year from front-to-back? What patches of the calendar can they take advantage of? Let's take a closer look at the breakdown.
October/November (18 games including Sixers opener on Oct 28)
10 home, 8 road
4 back-to-backs
Games against expected playoff teams: 10
Games to watch: vs. San Antonio, at Oklahoma City, at Miami
Notable: The Celtics kick off the year with one of the busiest months of the season. A season-high four back-to-backs come in the month of November, but luckily the level of opposition does not match the gauntlet the Celtics faced last year November. This time around, there are no road trips that last more than two games. Instead, it's a healthy mix of playoff opponents and bottom feeders. Two matchups with Atlanta, Washington, Brooklyn and Philadelphia headline the slate, along with a couple tests against Western Conference contenders (San Antonio, Houston, Oklahoma City). There won't be many open dates for practice time, but a .500-plus start is a very realistic goal.
December (14 games)
7 home, 7 road
3 back-to-back
Games against expected playoff teams: 6
Games to watch: at Sacramento (in Mexico City), vs. Golden State, vs. Minnesota
Notable: Boston's longest road trip of the year comes at the start of December, with a brief carryover from November, featuring a five-game trip over nine days. The journey is headlined by showdown in Mexico City with Rajon Rondo and the Sacramento Kings for the NBA Global games appearance. That matchup may be Boston's easiest contest out of the first two weeks of December, as tilts with Golden State, Cleveland, San Antonio, and Chicago could produce an ugly start to winter for the Celtics. Luckily, a relaxed schedule around the Christmas holiday brings Brad Stevens some early gifts with a weak batch of East opponents that should boost Boston's record for the month back towards .500.
January (17 games)
7 home, 10 road
4 back-to-backs
Games against expected playoff teams: 7
Games to watch: at Chicago, at Dallas, at Toronto
Notable: January usually means a long road trip out west for the Celtics, but the team dodges that bullet this year in their busiest month of the season. Instead, they will be zigzagging all across the country, playing no more than two straight games at a time at the TD Garden. There is a pair of three-game road trips, as well as a season-high four back-to-backs in the month. Despite the volume, the Celtics won't have a daunting matchup most nights, as a pair of battles with Chicago, plus a trip to Memphis is the toughest contests the team has all month. If Stevens can keep this group fresh, January will be a great opportunity to put together the best win-loss record of the season over a 30 day stretch.
February (12 games)
6 home, 6 road
3 back-to-backs
Games against expected playoff teams: 6
Games to watch: at Cleveland, vs. LA Lakers, at Utah
Notable: An eight-day respite in the middle of the month thanks to an extended All-Star Break highlights February for Boston. The Celtics also get a healthy dose of familiar faces, with Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers arriving at the TD Garden on February 10th. The final game of Kevin Garnett's career against Boston is also on the docket a couple weeks later on February 22 in Minnesota. The day to circle on the calendar, as is the case every February, is the trade deadline on Thursday February 18. With so many players on expiring contracts, it could be an extremely active time of year for Ainge, especially if Boston has not had a successful first few months.
March (14 games)
7 home, 7 road
3 back-to-backs
Games against expected playoff teams: 7
Games to watch: @ Cleveland, vs. Oklahoma City, vs. Memphis
Notable: March starts with five of Boston's first seven games at the TD Garden in a period that will pose a stiff test with Western Conference heavyweights Memphis, Houston and Oklahoma City all coming to town. From there, the Celtics kick off another five-game road trip out west in the final week of the month, a journey that will say a lot about if the team can put itself in position to return to the postseason.
April (7 games)
4 home, 3 road
1 back-to-back
Games against expected playoff teams: 6
Games to watch: at Golden State, at Atlanta, vs. Miami
Notable: If the Celtics want to earn a ticket back to the postseason, they are best off getting most of their wins prior to April, since those Ws won't come easy in the final two weeks of the year. Six of Boston's seven final opponents are likely playoff teams in 2015. There is always the possibility some of these top squads could be resting bodies in preparation for the postseason, but that's not a scenario the Celtics should count on. Boston will be hard pressed to finish the year with a winning April, but if they do enough work before then, it won't matter.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
