Atlantic Division Rival: Boston (getting it easy)

Boston vs. Toronto

As the current record stands, Boston has 11-2, and Toronto has 8-7. Sure Boston seems like the clear choice to win the division, but do you notice how easy the people at NBA made their schedule? If you go and check their schedule out, most of the teams they play are pretty much guaranteed win teams. I don't know if its a way of marketing Boston by giving them one of the easiest schedules in the league, but if you compare it to the Raptors, we definitely have much tougher opponents back to back and at every other team sequences. They have beaten every team the raptors can beat, but the 2 teams that beat them Orlando and Cleveland were the only 2 good teams that they had to play. I guess giving them a dirt easy schedule is the same as superstar foul calls. I'm sure its just a ploy to make them look better and sell Boston jerseys, and that next year, the nba will be more fair about this and give them a balanced more challenging schedule. That's my reasoning for this, as one look at the schedule and comparing it to the raptors will clearly stick out.</p>

This is not to say that the schedule should be changed, but more to say that we're better than how we appear right now, and not to be so quick to praise Boston every game. Once they play some actually difficult teams: Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio, Houston, Utah (mind you they haven't even played one of these teams yet) and win, then one can begin to praise them</p>

</p>

 

Wow I didnt realize how easy their schedual is, not to take anything away from the team but looking at their first 2 months, it would be surprising if they wouldnt have an amazing record. The only thing I can say those is you really cant predict how the teams are going to turn out, like Boston played Miami i think twice and people were picking them to do good this season, they also faced Washington who is dangerous when theyre healthy and New Jersey, Golden State and Cleveland. Last season those teams were playing really well so if you were too look at this schedaul from last years perspective you wouldnt of thought that these teams this season would be just pushovers, but all in all they havnt played any of the Elite teams yet like Detriot, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Pheonix so we'll see how things end up.</p>

 

After some quick calculation</p>

Bostons oppositions record through the month of November is -6 games under .500.</p>

The Raptors opposition is -1 games under .500.</p>

Raps have also played Memphis and Chicago twice the 76ers and Pacers. not exactly a tough scheduele.</p>

 

and as im typing this Boston is leading the knicks by over 40 points. and the knicks are going into the 4th quarter with 39 points total. Boston will slow down but i'd already give them the atlantic crown.</p>

 

I wouldn't go into full conspiracy mode (schedules do tend to even out over the course of a season), but I do agree that Boston's schedule has been incredibly easy. They're a great team, but I still stand by what I said after our OT loss to them: they're very beatable. They just haven't faced the type of competition that would expose their weaknesses. If the Raps can get through this next month, its still a race.</p>

 

They're beatable just like every other team is. I mean no team is unbeatable in the league. Thats why every team has losses.</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

They're beatable just like every other team is. I mean no team is unbeatable in the league. Thats why every team has losses.</p>

</div></p>

Yah the good ol' Irish luck schedule. It's a good one because it will help the Celtics build chemistry before taking on the good teams. It's a very favourable schedule given that the Celtics are the darlings of the NBA and everybody has anticipated them to do well. In this way, the NBA gets their wishes from the viewers. It's highly too coincidental, but hey, that's how it is.</p>

</p>

 

From Shapecity</p>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p>

If one of the big 3 get injured then it could backfire. Playing a tougher schedule later on without one of your best players could send Boston into a downward spiral.</p>

It's also tougher having post season success when you play a tough schedule in the second half of the season. You don't get to rest your starters as much and you have to play at a high level every night to compete against the elite teams.</p>

</div></p>

How is playing Chicago, Indiana, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta, New York, and New Jersey in the final month a tough schedule?</p>

Toronto would rip all of these teams to shreds</p>

</p>

</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shapecity)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hollagr8)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

They're beatable just like every other team is. I mean no team is unbeatable in the league. Thats why every team has losses.</p>

</div></p>

Yah the good ol' Irish luck schedule. It's a good one because it will help the Celtics build chemistry before taking on the good teams. It's a very favourable schedule given that the Celtics are the darlings of the NBA and everybody has anticipated them to do well. In this way, the NBA gets their wishes from the viewers. It's highly too coincidental, but hey, that's how it is.</p>

</p>

</div></p>

If one of the big 3 get injured then it could backfire. Playing a tougher schedule later on without one of your best players could send Boston into a downward spiral.</p>

It's also tougher having post season success when you play a tough schedule in the second half of the season. You don't get to rest your starters as much and you have to play at a high level every night to compete against the elite teams.</p>

In the end it all balances itself out.</p>

Based on Sagarin's Ratings, Boston has actually played a tougher schedule than the Raptors.</p>
<pre>4 ATLANTIC (EAST) = 89.23 90.10 ( 2) TEAMS= 5NBA 2007-2008 through games of 2007 November 28 WednesdayHOME ADVANTAGE= 2.84 <font color="#9900ff"> RATING</font> W L SCHEDL(RANK) VS top 10 | VS top 16 |<font color="#ff0000"> ELO_CHESS </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> PREDICTOR </font> 1 Boston Celtics =<font color="#9900ff"> 101.04</font> 11 2 90.16( [background=rgb(255, 255, 0);]16[/font]) 1 2 | 5 2 |<font color="#ff0000"> 100.59 1 </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> 101.66 1</font> 13 Toronto Raptors =<font color="#9900ff"> 91.57</font> 8 7 89.88( [background=rgb(255, 255, 0);]18[/font]) 0 5 | 0 7 |<font color="#ff0000"> 90.99 14 </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> 92.23 11</font> 19 New Jersey Nets =<font color="#9900ff"> 87.71</font> 7 8 90.18( 15) 1 5 | 2 6 |<font color="#ff0000"> 88.73 18 </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> 86.66 22</font> 25 Philadelphia 76ers =<font color="#9900ff"> 85.58</font> 4 10 90.35( 14) 0 4 | 1 9 |<font color="#ff0000"> 84.80 25 </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> 86.32 23</font> 27 New York Knicks =<font color="#9900ff"> 84.57</font> 4 9 89.84( 19) 1 3 | 2 6 |<font color="#ff0000"> 84.42 26 </font>|<font color="#0000ff"> 84.76 26</font></pre>
<pre></pre>
<pre><font color="#0000ff">Source: USAToday.com</font></pre>

</p>

</div></p>

Okay, so here goes, December is a pretty easy month for Boston with only Cleveland and Detroit. Meanwhile Toronto has a killer December with Phoenix, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Houston, and their pretty clumped together. So too bad Toronto and Merry Christmas Boston. In fact, Boston's only difficult time is in March for a west coast swing of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Way, way, way too easy NBA. You might as well just give Boston the Knicks for the next 68 games and crown them the Atlantic Division title.</p>

</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p>

</p>

How is playing Chicago, Indiana, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta, New York, and New Jersey in the final month a tough schedule?</p>

Toronto would rip all of these teams to shreds</p>

</div></p>

Toronto is a strong team, but I wouldn't denigrate those other clubs. Chicago has a strong nucleus and was one of the better teams in the conference last year. Charlotte has a lot of talent and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were a playoff team when all is said and done--same with Atlanta. It will come down to health (and how well they learn to play together, which may be an issue for Atlanta, who knows), not only for them but for Washington and New Jersey, also. Washington wason pace for 50+ wins last year before all their players started geting hurt, and if Arenas comes back in February or early March they could surge at the end. The Nets have clearly shown that they suck withoutCarter, but if he and RJ can remain healthy, andKrstc can recover, they'll be hard to beat at the end of the season. Milwaukee has beaten some very good teams so far and they're a tough opponent.</p>

Speaking of health . . . I'm still curious to see how the Celtics play without Ray Allen, Pierce, or Garnett. It's a long season. Boston could win 65 games, but that wouldn't really matter if Ray Allen needs surgery on his ankle in mid-April now, would it?</p>

 

Regardless, nobody wants to challenge the ease of Boston's schedule? You can't deny how easy their schedule is. It's no wonder they're picked to win the Atlantic let alone the east with no challenge, yet nobody mentions their schedule. Just the Big 3. Hmmm, maybe it would be better if Raptors had their injuries in December to get past the West coast wreckage we're about to go through and heal up for January. Anyways, Boston will be fine, and you Boston fans are all creating issues about the unknown let alone the facts.</p>

 

They were talking about this on tnt yesterday, easy or not they're getting wins and thats what matters.</p>

No one will look back in history and say that this certain team won the champion because they had an easy schedule, it doesn't work that way. You have to beat whatever they throw at you, and it doesn't matter which team you'll get first.</p>

 

you generally play the same teams the same number of times. It isn't the NFL.</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dumpy)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

you generally play the same teams the same number of times. It isn't the NFL.</p>

</div></p>

Exactly.</p>

Now you could make the case that we're in the East and the teams might not be as strong as in the West, but thats about it.</p>

</p>

 

That sucks. hahah</p>

Knicks should be banned from the NBA.</p>

 

Shape brings up a good point. I like comparing this Celtics squad to the '05 Pistons. That team had a great starting lineup and they just breezed through the regular season, ending up with the best record in the league. However, in the playoffs, the heavy minutes that their starters had been logging all year really caught up to them and they had no bench to turn to. And they ended up losing to the Heat in the Conference Finals.

The Celtics will have to be wary of that exhaustion and having a tougher schedule towards the end of the year will only make it harder for them to live up to the hype in the playoffs.</p>

 

I think we all tend to forget, the schedule was made before the draft (if I'm not mistaken), so regardless, the Celtics would of had the same schedule. It is just getting pointed out as easy because they are winning over 90% of their games. In retrospect, the Celtics are winning games they should win against bad teams. They lost to good teams like the Cavs and Magic, but that is a different story.</p>

The Raptors, while they do have a tough schedule, they need to win those games to make the next jump to becoming an elite team. I see you Raptor fans (not bad talking you guys, just saying) complaining about the Celtics. Well, look at it this way. The Celtics play easy teams, like all of you have said, so really they get no match up against a really good team, or a team that can male the playoffs and go far, as of yet.</p>

The Raptors on the other hand, have a very tough December, which will show us how good we really are. To win a championship, we need to beat these teams. So while you all look at this in a bad way, I don't. I look at it and think "Good for the Celtics, they are beating teams they should beat. But wait...the Raptors beat some western conference teams, wow, they are really showing they can run with the best of them."</p>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Master Shake)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I think we all tend to forget, the schedule was made before the draft (if I'm not mistaken), so regardless, the Celtics would of had the same schedule. It is just getting pointed out as easy because they are winning over 90% of their games. In retrospect, the Celtics are winning games they should win against bad teams. They lost to good teams like the Cavs and Magic, but that is a different story.</p>

The Raptors, while they do have a tough schedule, they need to win those games to make the next jump to becoming an elite team. I see you Raptor fans (not bad talking you guys, just saying) complaining about the Celtics. Well, look at it this way. The Celtics play easy teams, like all of you have said, so really they get no match up against a really good team, or a team that can male the playoffs and go far, as of yet.</p>

The Raptors on the other hand, have a very tough December, which will show us how good we really are. To win a championship, we need to beat these teams. So while you all look at this in a bad way, I don't. I look at it and think "Good for the Celtics, they are beating teams they should beat. But wait...the Raptors beat some western conference teams, wow, they are really showing they can run with the best of them."</p>

</div></p>

Yeah I agree with you, but I just get annoyed seeing their team on the nba page everyday as one of the 1st popups. Like Boston beat this team, or beat that team. They get all the hype for beating easy teams. If raps played the knicks they wouldn't get any hype cuz knicks are garbage, but when Boston plays any team, its on the front page or something. Then if that's not bad enough, teams that they should beat by far, whenever they don't, Ray Allen hits a 3 to win, then they get all the hype all over again when they should've been 10 points over. It's just non-stop.</p>

</p>