Key matchups to watch in the Celtics upcoming schedule

A lot of doubters came out of the woodworks while the Boston Celtics were having a sub-par December and January. The C’s started the season by going 16-3 in the months of October and November, but went 18-12 over the next two months, heading into February with a record of 34-15. It was a time where fans and haters alike were questioning Boston’s ability to repeat, despite their record still being good for second in the East, third overall.

The Celtics were never worried, though. In the month of February, they’re currently 6-1. Regardless of the record, Joe Mazzulla preaches about sticking to the process, saying that the most important thing is to always learn how to get better from both wins and losses. He also said that the “season doesn’t start until after the All-Star break.” Well, Joe, the season has officially started.

In the next ten games, Boston is facing five possible contenders, along with a potential first-round playoff matchup. This is very likely the last big test they’ll see before the playoffs begin in April. In fact, the Celtics have the third easiest strength of schedule to finish off the year, even with the gauntlet ahead.

If Boston can tough out the next ten games, they should be in great shape to finish off the season. Here are the matchups to keep an eye on over the upcoming stretch:

Feb. 23 vs New York Knicks (Boston up 2-0 in season series): This series hasn’t exactly been competitive thus far. Boston smoked New York on Opening Night, with a final score of 132-109. As if that wasn’t a big enough beatdown, the Celtics took it a step further in the second matchup, winning the game 131-104. Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t active in either, so Celtics fans have been feeling pretty good about our odds to beat out the Knicks in the event of a playoff matchup between the two.

The Cavaliers also just gave them a punch in the mouth, defeating New York 142-105. With the Celtics next on the schedule, The Knicks are sure to come out angry and aggressive. It could very well be their last chance to prove themselves, and with a loss, they would be conceding the season series, effectively solidifying their place below us in the standings. Not only that, but it would also prevent them from completing the “40/20” rule, a way of measuring who the league’s true contenders are from season to season.

Feb. 26 at Detroit Pistons (3-0): Boston hasn’t had any issues handling the Pistons this year, despite their vast improvement from previous years. The Celtics have won all three games in the season series, and done so by an average margin of victory of 13.3 points. This is their first matchup post-trade deadline, however, so both teams look slightly different. We all know about Boston’s addition of Torrey Craig from the buyout market, a solid three-and-D wing. Detroit, on the other hand saw a little more turnaround.

Unfortunately, the explosive Pistons guard, Jaden Ivey, broke his leg since the two teams last matched up, and he’s expected to be out until at least late-March. Detroit also acquired K.J. Martin from the 76ers in exchange for cash, then flipping Martin for Dennis Schroeder and Lindy Waters III in a five-team deal at the deadline. Schroeder has been a nice addition for them as someone who can command the floor when Cade Cunningham takes his breaks.

Ultimately this is a game where Boston is the clear favorite, but a game they still can’t take lightly. Detroit is currently three games above the Orlando Magic, who sit at seventh in the East. Unless things go really well, or really badly, the seventh seed will likely be the team to watch for the Celtics first-round matchup. That means this could be a potential preview of mid-April for Boston and Detroit.

Feb. 28 vs Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1): Cleveland has been sitting firmly at first in the East for nearly the entire season. Outside of Boston, they are likely the team to watch in terms of representing the conference in the Finals. Currently, Boston has the lead in the season series, and with a win, they can secure it. They can also give themselves a much better shot of de-throning the Cavs for the first seed, sitting six games behind them at the moment.

All three matchups have been close, Boston winning their games by an average of five points. Cleveland’s one win in the series came by four points. Between the three games, neither team has been at full force, though. For Cleveland, Dean Wade, Max Strus, and Isaac Okoro have all missed multiple games. In Boston’s loss, they were missing Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. That’s made it hard to truly judge the matchup.

Cleveland also took a swing to improve their roster at the trade deadline. In a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs sent out Caris LeVert and Gerges Niang in exchange for De’Andre Hunter. Hunter had been having a great season in Atlanta as one of the top contenders in the Sixth Man of the Year race. He brings some much-needed defense to Cleveland’s wings, while also being an efficient scorer. Cleveland will also be signing former Celtic, Javonte Green, from the buyout market, another plus defender to keep in their pocket.

While it’s felt like the Celtics have had the edge, it’s a matchup that can go either way. This upcoming game will hopefully be our first chance at seeing both teams at full-strength. In the event that the two teams meet in the playoffs, it will likely be in the Eastern Conference Finals, a series that could easily go to seven games.

Mar. 2 vs Denver Nuggets (1-0): Back in January, Boston was able to walk into Denver and leave with a win, but Denver was far from full-strength. Nikola Jokic was scratched from the lineup due to an illness, and Aaron Gordon was nursing an injury as well. No win is insignificant, but it’s a lot harder to judge a matchup where the other team is missing their best player, especially when that player is Jokic. If all goes well, both teams are expected to be at full-strength for the upcoming matchup.

Denver is sure to put Boston’s defense to the test, currently holding the second-best offensive rating in the league. Jamal Murray has started looking like himself again after a slow start to the season, now up to an efficient 21.3 points per game. At the same time, Jokic has been putting up MVP numbers across the board, which has the Nuggets rolling. They just had an eight-game win streak snapped by the Lakers, still sitting at third in the West, just half a game behind the second place Memphis Grizzlies. With this being a potential Finals matchup, the Celtics are going to have to show their ability to contain Jokic and Murray.

Mar. 8 vs Los Angeles Lakers (0-1): The Lakers cruised past the Celtics in their previous matchup in LA, winning the game 117-96. Boston shot an atrocious 38.5% from the field as a team, failing to generate any real offense. All of their starters were subbed out for the last seven and a half minutes of the game.

This time, the Lakers look just a bit different, though. They made a teeny tiny move a few days before the trade deadline, sending out Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. It was a big swing in terms of their offensive and defensive potential, opting more for the former.

The Celtics made a habit of targeting Doncic with their “killer whale offense” in last year’s Finals. With the upcoming matchup, we’ll have to see if LA can do a better job of hiding their seals. Without Anthony Davis, they certainly lose a big deterrent when it comes to attacking the paint. On the other hand, Luka is one of the best offensive players in the world. Between him and LeBron, the Lakers have two of the best playmakers in the league. Austin Reaves has also been playing at an unreal level, making LA’s offense extremely potent. Boston’s defense will have to step up in trying to limit that.

We haven’t had much time to see Luka Doncic integrated into this team yet, especially considering he is coming off injury. The acquisition has certainly bolstered their status as contenders, though. The Lakers currently sit at fifth in the West, and seem to be picking up the pace in the late stages of the regular season. It’s a matchup to keep an eye on, to be sure, especially given the storied rivalry.

Mar. 12 vs Oklahoma City Thunder (0-1): The Thunder currently hold the second-best record in the league, despite missing arguably their second-best player, Chet Holmgren, for most of the year. They’re finally back to virtually full-strength, and have continued to look amazing. In the previous matchup between the two, OKC managed to flip Boston’s lead heading into the fourth quarter, capping off a 26-point turnaround with a win.

In that game, the Celtics had their worst three-point performance of the season, just 19.6% as a team. Meanwhile, the Thunder had their eight-best, at 42.1% from three. While I wouldn’t expect Boston to struggle as much as they did in that game, OKC has an elite defense, and very few seals to attack. They currently hold the best defensive rating in the league, and they’re adding in an athletic 7-foot shot-blocker into the mix as well. The Thunder also hold the fifth best offensive rating in the league, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, potentially this year’s MVP.

This game may be the most important of the entire stretch, given that it’s widely expected to be this year’s Finals matchup. Boston has proven their ability to beat most of the top teams, with OKC being the exception this year. The two teams have split the season series four out of the last five seasons, the only exception being 2022 in which the Celtics won both games.