The Celtics are sitting atop the NBA with a 15-2 record, but of the 17 games they have played so far, only 6 were against teams that now have a .500 record or greater. Also, of the top 6 teams in the league, who should be considered to be contenders for the title, the Celtics have played only 1 of them, and that resulted in a loss. They have yet to face Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah, or New Orleans.
The month of December will be a tougher road than November was. In December, the Celtics have to face Toronto (10-9) twice, Detroit (13,5), and Orlando (16-4), along with the first West Coast swing where they will face Sacramento (7-10), Seattle (4-15), Utah (13-6)and the Lakers (11-8). Next up is the rematch with the Raptors who, in spite of battling injuries, are still playing very well and present tough matchups for us. They are the top 3 point shooting team in the league and take very good care of the ball. If the Celtics play defense in this game like they did in the Philly game, it could get very ugly.
So far, it seems that the Celtics are playing to the level of their competition, putting out lackluster performances against the LeBron-less Cavs and against the Sixers. Their trademark defense was nowhere to be found in the game against Philly, allowing them to shoot 71% in the first quarter and 56% for the game. Against a better team, defense like this would have meant a loss. But then again, against a better team, the Celtics may have put out a better effort from the start.
There are still some concerns with this team in spite of their 15-2 record. They have not yet faced any of the elite teams other than Orlando. Even though they are capable of playing lock down defense on teams, they play it in spurts and some games, like Philly look as bad on defense as last year's team. Ray Allen has struggled much of the season so far and over the last 12 games has shot only 35%. Ray needs to find his touch in order to beat the upper echelon of the NBA. Rondo has struggled from time to time. KG and Pierce have both struggled in games as well. As a team, they still turn the ball over too much. All these things can be turned around but until they do turn them around, they are concerns. So far, they have been able to put in lackluster games against teams like Philly and a depleted Cleveland team and come away with a win by turning it on at the end. But, they won't be able to do that against teams like Orlando, Detroit, Utah or the Lakers. They also seem to struggle against teams that play great defense and need to figure out how to beat hustle defenses.
The biggest challenges for this team are yet to come. They face a tough December that ends with a trip out West where Utah and the Lakers will be gunning for them for sure. They also face Toronto twice, Detroit and Orlando. The game in Seattle will be an emotional one with Ray returning to his former home and Delonte and Wally will certainly want to beat their former team. In spite of their struggles and 4-15 record, expect Seattle to give the Celtics a tough game. Whether the Celtics can sustain getting up for every game every night will be a big gauge of how they will do in the month of December. It isn't a matter of talent, but of being mentally in every game and putting out the effort game in and game out that will make the difference. The Celtics' record at the end of December will be a better gauge of where they stand in the league than the 15-2 record they hold now.
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