BOSTON — The NBA schedule-makers really were not kind to the Celtics this season.
Boston already kicked off the 2014-15 campaign with arguably the league’s toughest stretch, with 12 of their first 15 games coming against teams that reached the playoffs last season.
Things calmed down a bit over the next month and a half, but beginning next week, the Celtics’ degree of difficulty cranks right back up.
After wrapping up a three-game homestand Friday with a 119-103 loss to the Chicago Bulls, the C’s now will depart the friendly confines of TD Garden for a six-game road trip against the far superior Western Conference.
The trip — Boston’s longest of the season — kicks off Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers and then features a four-game stretch that spans five days and three time-zone hops. Oh, and two of those opponents — the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers — currently occupy the top two spots in the West standings.
It will be a tough week and a half to say the least, and the Celtics’ morale as they prepare to ship out isn’t exactly at an all-time high. Boston has lost 10 of its last 13 games and hasn’t beaten a Western Conference opponent on the road since Nov. 6, 2013.
Head coach Brad Stevens, however, wasn’t in the mood Friday to discuss hurt feelings.
“We’re employed to do everything we can, to have everything we have, and to manage the ups and downs throughout a season,” Stevens said after the loss, in which the Bulls outscored the Celtics 31-17 in the fourth quarter. “Players and coaches. And it’s on us as individuals to be up and ready. And certainly you have to help some guys through that and help manage some of that but, you know, we can’t spend our time managing feelings right now. We have to spend our time getting better.”
There are ways a lengthy road trip can help a team, however, especially one as young and ever-changing (two new players will join the Celtics in L.A.) as this one.
“I mean, for (younger players), obviously,” guard Evan Turner said. “We’ve got a couple of guys (for whom) it’s their first time experiencing it. Once again, we’re going into a tough environment. Obviously, the West has a lot of talented teams. That’s a big deal. We’re going to have to overcome — most nights, you may be tired or jet-lagged — and kind of play together and stick together.”
Being stuck together on airplanes for hours on end can go a long way toward fostering that team unity. For a Celtics team that has lacked direction since the trades of Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, a little bonding time might be exactly what it needs.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
