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Monday, August 14, 2017

Random Thoughts as the Schedule is Released

 Every season, one of the most exciting days of the summer is when the league releases the schedule.  There are so many things to check out like the number of back to backss,  the number of national television games, key dates such as Christmas,  when the Celtics face key rivals,  and when former Celtics make their first trip back to the TD Garden.



The first thing I look for is always the number of national TV games.   Just 3 years ago, the Celtics has just one national television appearance.  This season, the Celtics will be on national television a whopping 34 times.   They will be on TNT 11 times, NBA TV 9 times, ESPN 10 times and ABC 4 times.

For me, I liked it better when they weren't on national TV as much because I could listen to Mike and Tommy on League Pass but I know that for those who can't get League Pass, it's great to be able to see 41.5% of the season's games on national TV channels.  I really don't care for watching the TNT and ESPN crews all that much but with the Celtics gaining respect from the league, it's to be expected.

As was released last week, the Celtics will be playing the very first game of the season as they take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland on opening night.  At least the Celtics won't have to sit through a ring ceremony as the Rockets will have to in the second game of that night's double header. 

The Celtics will also play in the NBA's showcase games on Christmas day. For the first time in 53 years, and for the first time ever in Boston the Celtics will play at home on Christmas day! Back in 1964, the Celtics were the “home” team on Christmas day, but the game was held at Madison Square Garden rather than the Boston Garden. The Celtics have played 31 Christmas games in franchise history without one of them being played in Boston.

At first, Red Auerbach didn't want to play at home on Christmas so that the workers at the Garden could spend the day with their families. And then, for many years, an ice show was booked on Christmas at the Boston Garden and then the TD Garden. With the Ice show now moving to a smaller venue, the way was cleared for the Celtics to host the Christmas day game at home for the first time in franchise history. And the Celtics will have a prime time slot at 5:30 PM ET on ABC.

The Celtics will have 14 back to back sets this season, which is just under the 14.4 average number that the league has said that teams will have this season. The league has also done away with the 4 games in 5 nights that are so hard on teams and possibly have resulted in player injuries due to fatigue over the years. That is definitely good news.

The first games I always look for, even after all these years, are the ones against the Lakers. A hatred for all things Laker and all things purple has been ingrained in my DNA over the years. With Lonzo Ball and his misogynistic loud mouth father in LA and several stars rumored to be heading to LA next season, I have a feeling that the rivalry is fixing to return to prominence. The Celtics will host the Lakers on November 8 and will travel to the Staples Center on November 23.

Other games to watch for are the 4 against the Wizards, who are one of the Celtics' newer rivals. That rivalry is now highlighted by the matchup between the Morris twins with Marcus on the Celtics and Markieff on the Wizards. They will meet for the first time on Christmas day and then on February 8, March 14, and April 10.

The Philadelphia 76ers are another team to watch. They believe that their "Process" is finally going to pay off this season with a team filled with young talent including the #1 pick from this season's draft, courtesy of Danny Ainge's swap of the first pick for the third pick. The matchup between Jayson Tatum and Markelle Fultz will be closely monitored to determine who got the better of that deal.

The Celtics will face the Sixers on January 11 in London. Thankfully they will have 5 days off before and after that game in order to recover from the travel and jet lag that is sure to result. The Celtics will also face the Sixers on November 30 and January 18.

Kelly Olynyk will make his first trip to the Garden with the Heat on November 20. Avery Bradley will make his first return to the Garden as a member of the Pistons on November 27. Amir Johnson will make his first trip to the Garden with the Sixers on January 18. Gordon Hayward will face his former club in Boston on December 15th and will make his first appearance in Utah as a member of the Celtics on March 28.

The past two season, the Celtics have beaten the Golden State Warriors on the road. They are the only team in the league to do so. They will play at Golden State on January 27th and try to make it 3 seasons in a row. With a very real chance that the Celtics will face them in the Finals this season, their regular season meetings will be important for both teams. The Celtics final game of the season will be against the Nets, who once again hold the Celtics draft pick.

With 45 days until training camp starts, we will have plenty of time to study the schedule and analyze the matchups and all the little details. I can't wait for that first game to see Isaiah and Gordon and Jaylen and Jayson and see what this team is capable of! It's going to be a fun year~

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