How do you eat a whale? Properly, on this case, the 82-game gauntlet of an NBA season. The previous adage is to strategy the NBA season game-by-game, however it’s at all times useful to take a look at it in chunks, similar to the group’s tools supervisor may when planning street journeys and homestands. In that spirit, let’s attempt to predict the Celtics report.
at Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls: The Celtics kick off the complete NBA season with an opener in Motor Metropolis on Tuesday, October twentieth with an odd 3 pm EST tip-off. Possibly that’s for a global viewers. Regardless, that’s the #1 and #2 seed from final yr ushering within the new yr of hoops. Boston is then rewarded with a four-game homestand that features a go to from the defending champs and a 4-1 begin to get 2026-2027 rolling.
at Orlando Magic, at Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, at Charlotte Hornets, at Milwaukee Bucks, at Philadelphia 76ers, at Toronto Raptors: When you take a 30,000-foot view of the schedule, it’s a variety of lengthy homestands and street journeys. Fortunately, the Celtics rank twentieth in miles travelled for the complete yr. This roadie contains Boston’s first have a look at Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and the 76ers — after dealing with them twice within the preseason — and a number of the upstarts within the East with Orlando and Toronto on the docket. Going above-.500 would put Boston at round 8-4.
Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, at Denver Nuggets, at Sacramento Kings, at Golden State Warriors, at Washington Wizards: Boston has 16 back-to-backs subsequent season, tied for many within the league with the Nets and Pelicans. Two of them are a part of this five-games-in-eight-nights stretch with the group making their first foray into California. 12-6 with almost 1 / 4 of the season underneath their belt.
Atlanta Hawks, at San Antonio Spurs, at Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets: Internet hosting the Hawks wraps up the Celtics’ NBA Cup four-game common season. It’s a gaggle of up-and-comers that additionally contains the Hornets, Bulls, and Wizards. Boston ought to rep Group C within the playoff spherical with a 3-1 report in group play and an general 15-7.
*Let’s exit on a limb and say the Celtics increase Banner 18.5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and get to 17-7, too.
at Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Portland Path Blazers, Miami Warmth, Cleveland Cavaliers: A seven-game homestand that features waking up in their very own mattress for Christmas is such a deal with for NBA gamers. It additionally has the one home-and-home on the schedule with hometown hero A.J. Dybantsa visiting TD Backyard with the Wizards. A powerful displaying pushes Boston to 24-8 earlier than the brand new yr.
at Chicago Bulls, at Utah Jazz, at Portland Path Blazers, at Phoenix Suns, at Los Angeles Lakers, at Los Angeles Clippers: This marks the Odyssey portion of the schedule. This six-game street journey marks the longest of the yr with CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell rating it essentially the most troublesome:
The Celtics haven’t had a 6-game street journey since March of 2025, after they grew to become the primary group in franchise historical past to go an ideal 6-0 in a single street journey. They’ll look to copy that success this winter after they face three Western Convention playoff groups from final yr, and a Jazz squad that may very well be much-improved. The Bulls and Clippers needs to be simpler outs, however there’s no telling how aggressive this street journey will find yourself being.
There are some robust outs, however actually, their largest opponent may simply be fatigue and monotony because the NBA gauntlet nears the midway level. A break up will get the Celtics to 27-11.
Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, at Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns: House candy house with 9 of the subsequent ten video games on the Backyard. Subsequent yr, the NBA commerce deadline is on February eleventh. The Celtics and their entrance workplace could have a protracted runway in January to see simply how good this group is and what holes should be plugged. There’s only one back-to-back that features Brown’s homecoming on the twenty first. 34-14.
at Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, at Charlotte Hornets, at Atlanta Hawks, at Philadelphia 76ers: Boston gained’t go away the Japanese Customary Time zone for this street journey, however I’ll predict a little bit of a mid-year stumble to drop them to 36-17.
Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, at Oklahoma Metropolis, at Memphis Grizzlies: One other homestand, a number of battles towards the West’s elite earlier than the All-Star break, and the aforementioned commerce deadline.
If the Celtics are 39-20 at this level, it’s most definitely that President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens doesn’t make an enormous transfer which may disrupt the chemistry of the group…or he’s made an enormous commerce to push them excessive. Let’s function the remainder of the way in which as if a deal was made on the sides, however nothing large with the group comparatively wholesome. Fingers crossed.
Cleveland Cavaliers, at Minnesota Timberwolves, at Indiana Pacers, at Detroit Pistons: The Celtics have their first three-game dropping streak of the season. 40-23 has them within the hunt to host a primary spherical collection in April.
Philadelphia 76ers, at Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, at New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, at Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs: This is perhaps essentially the most consequential stretch of the yr with video games towards title contenders and backside feeders. The Celtics should not less than break up video games towards the 76ers, Knicks, Thunder, and Spurs and handle enterprise with the Grizzlies, Kings, Pelicans, and Nets to essentially be thought of one of many elites. 47-26.
at Miami Warmth, at New Orleans Pelicans, at Indiana Pacers, at Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Warmth, at New York Knicks, at Orlando Magic, at Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks: Final season, the Celtics completed with 56 wins to clinch the 2nd seed. Their remaining kick this yr will embrace seven of their final 9 video games on the street with visits to Miami, Indiana, Cleveland, New York, Orlando, and Atlanta — all groups predicted to be within the playoff combine. Optimistically, 52-30 could be a powerful season for this group which might have made them #4 final yr.
