Boston Celtics Attempt to Finish Road Trip Strong
The Boston Celtics look to successfully finish a tough road trip.
Between the Boston Red Sox signing David Price and the New England Patriots losing their first game and their top receiving threat, it’s been a busy week in the Boston area.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics (10-8) are in the midst of a five-game road trip. A road trip in which hopefully the Celtics bring home success and find a little consistency along the way.
The Celtics are 4-4 on the road this year. That’s not a horrible record to have on the road, but is also part of the inconsistent play Boston has displayed in the first part of the season.
Boston is 1-1 on the current trip, thanks to a victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night. This came the day after the Celtics were throttled by the Orlando Magic.
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Road victories over teams like the Magic are needed by the Celtics (though the Magic, at 9-8, are playing better than expected). Taking care of business against teams they are supposed to beat will only further the argument that this season’s Celtics team is ready to make the jump to the next level.
They are not going to win every game. No fan should expect that (unless you are a fan of the undefeated Golden State Warriors). There will be a hiccup or two along the way. Finishing out this road trip with a winning record is a good chance to prove their worth.
Two out of the next three games are winnable for the Celtics. They start with the Sacramento Kings (7-12) on Thursday, a team Boston lost to 109-101 in Sacramento last February.
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The final game of the road trip is against the New Orleans Pelicans (4-13 as of this article). The Celtics won both games against the Pelicans last season.
The game sandwiched between those two? Well, that game on Saturday is against the San Antonio Spurs (14-4). Every game should be considered winnable but a win here by the Celtics would slightly unexpected. The two teams met in Boston last month, with the Spurs winning 95-87. The Spurs are also currently 9-0 at home this season.
Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas have been the most consistent players as of late. Bradley is averaging 18 points per game on the season and led the team in scoring with 27 against the Heat.
The Celtics are averaging 100.3 points per game on the road, a drop off from what they average at home (103.4). Boston is actually shooting slightly better on the road than at home (44.2% to 42.3%) and overall is holding opponents to 97.5 ppg, good for 8th in the NBA.
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Taking care of business not only at home but on the road is a good sign of a team’s maturation. At the very least, hoping for a 2-1 record for the rest of this trip is not too much to ask for. Though an upset of the Spurs could propel the Celtics on a Warriors type of winning streak.
It doesn’t hurt to dream.