The Celtics don’t have much room for charity over the next stretch, and that makes Monday night’s home game against the Bulls feel especially important.
Boston has already been dragged into two tight battles this season, going all the way to the wire against the Pistons and Knicks. That’s a reminder that the Eastern Conference isn’t offering many free nights.
Beyond the Celtics, the conference has real contenders in the Knicks, Pistons, 76ers, and Raptors. Then come the teams trying to punch their way into that group - the Pacers, Cavaliers, Heat, Magic, and Hawks.
Even the Wizards and Hornets believe they belong in the playoff picture.
That leaves only the Bucks, Nets, and Bulls as teams that sit clearly below the rest of the East. But “below” doesn’t mean harmless. They’re still veteran teams, still proud teams, and they’re not going to hand anyone wins just because the calendar says they should.
That’s why the Celtics need to handle business now. There’s no such thing as a must-win game in October, but there are definitely moments when a team has to cash in on the softer part of the schedule. Monday is one of those moments.
And it doesn’t stop there. After Chicago, Boston gets the Nets, then the Bulls again, followed by two games against the Bucks the next week. Those are the kinds of games the Celtics need to stack up wins in, because the road ahead won’t stay this manageable for long.
Early schedule soft spots can cut both ways. They give a team a chance to settle in, find rhythm, and build momentum.
But they also disappear fast, and once they’re gone, the schedule turns into a grind. With the new draft lottery reform, there also won’t be many teams waving the white flag late in the season.
The bottom line is simple: every contender has to beat quality opponents eventually, and Boston will get plenty of those tests. Still, the Celtics can make life a whole lot easier by taking care of the teams sitting at the bottom of the pile while those chances are there. Over the next couple of weeks, they’ll have that opportunity in front of them.
In Other News...
Celtics Get A Chance To Expose One Early Bulls Weakness
The Celtics are about to get an early look at one of Chicagos most obvious problems, and it comes in an area Boston usually likes to stress anyway. Through the first stretch of the season, the Bulls have had a hard time making shots from deep, which makes this matchup a chance for the Celtics to close out hard, contest cleanly and see whether Chicago can generate offense some other way.
For Boston, that kind of test matters because the Bulls are still willing to launch from outside, even if the results have been rough. If the Celtics can turn those attempts into a night of rushed looks and missed opportunities, they could help determine whether Chicagos perimeter issues are just a small-sample slump or something more troubling. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Garza Just Gave Celtics Fans A Real Reason To Trust Him
Luka Garza got a real run in Bostons home opener against the Knicks, and he made it hard to ignore him. With the Celtics other centers slowed by foul trouble, Garza logged significant minutes and gave the front line a lift with a timely three, defensive stops and work on the offensive glass in a 107-103 win that had plenty of swing moments.
For a Celtics team that needs energy and dependable support behind its primary big men, that kind of contribution matters. Garza did more than simply hold down the fort, he helped stabilize the rotation and showed he can be part of the answer when the game gets messy inside. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Garnett Just Added A Wild Twist To How Boston Landed Him
Kevin Garnetts path to Boston already carried plenty of league lore, but he added another layer in a recent interview by revisiting just how close he came to ending up elsewhere. After years in Minnesota, Garnett said he was ready for a change and credited Chauncey Billups with pushing him to move on, a conversation that helped set the stage for one of the most important roster swings in Celtics history. What followed was a trip to Boston that changed the franchises trajectory and eventually ended with a title in 2008.
Garnett also said he weighed the fit carefully before making his choice, including reaching out for perspective on how things might work with Paul Pierce. The final decision came in a period when the Lakers were also in the picture, which makes the twist all the more striking in hindsight, especially given how his bond with Kobe Bryant later remained respectful and warm. Garnett was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Bryant in 2021, a fitting cap to a rivalry that never turned personal even as the path to Boston took an unexpected turn. [Read more 🡒]