Why the schedule — and Jaylen Brown — are lining up for a big Boston run
I believe the Celtics are about to win 8 of their next 9 games.
Call me crazy.
Call me Nostradamus.
Call me a Green Teamer.
Call me whatever you want.
I’m merely just a man with an informed hunch!
I’ll explain:
With the Celtics at 15-11 through 26 games, they currently sit as the No. 4 seed in an Eastern Conference that many believe is as wide open as it has been in years.
After completing a tough back-to-back this weekend against the Heat (14-12) and Raptors (16-11), Boston is about to enter into a weak stretch of their schedule.
Here’s what it looks like starting Monday
- December 22 vs. Pacers (6-20)
- December 26 @ Pacers
- December 28 @ Portland (10-16)
- December 30 @ Utah (10-15)
- January 1 @ Sacramento (6-20)
- January 3 @ Clippers (6-20)
- January 5 vs. Bulls (11-15)
MORE CELTICS STORIES:
Jayson Tatum Tells Chris Haynes He’s ‘Coming Back This Season’
Brad Stevens Leaves Door Wide Open for Jayson Tatum Return
Would The Celtics Ever Hang An NBA Cup Banner?
Even if the Celtics split their next two, that seven-game stretch should be a 7-0 run, barring injury. That would put Boston at 23-12 heading into a home game against the Nuggets (19-6) on January 7. Even if they go 5-2 over that run (again, assuming they split this weekend), that’s 21-13 heading into a game against Jokic.
But I’m going to say it with my chest - this team will split the back-to-back, and then go 7-0.
8-1 over their next 9. Take it to the bank.
Look for Jaylen Brown to continue his hot shooting, as he has emerged as one of the best players in the Eastern Conference over the first three months of the season - winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Dec. 1-7) and cementing his place in the MVP discussion.
His 29.3 points per game are good for sixth-best in the NBA, shooting 50% from the field and 36.1% from three. Brown is also averaging 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists to round out the most complete game we’ve seen from the 29-year-old in his 10-year career.
In his last 10 games alone, Brown is averaging 32.7 PPG, 7 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
Boston’s best player (in uniform) is playing his best basketball leading into a soft stretch of games.
Time to stack wins, boys.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our CELTICS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Celtics fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.