The Boston Celtics are in a rough spot. Perhaps the roughest spot they’ve been since acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last summer. While some of their recent performances have been without one (or both) of those guys, their play has been ugly regardless.
They are 2-4 in their last six games and 1-3 in their last four, including a brutal loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. Just two days after they beat Indiana by 37, they looked like a different team, giving the Pacers a red carpet to the basket. Combined with losses to the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas and to a short-handed Orlando Magic squad, Boston’s losing ways are unlike anything this team has seen in over a year.
And it won’t get much easier.
Celtics are ready for a brutal Western Conference road trip
Following a home game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, the Celtics are heading West for a grueling set of road trips against some of the best teams in the NBA.
In January, they will face games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets (twice), Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings (home), Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks.
Most of those teams are scrapping it out for a top spot in a loaded Western Conference, and the Celtics will have to take them on in the midst of their worst struggles since getting eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
But Joe Mazzulla is ready. In fact, he can’t wait to face the reality in front of them.
"I'm actually really excited about it,” Mazzulla said. “It's going to be fun. It's going to be great."
Never one to back down from a challenge, Mazzulla’s response to being questioned about Boston’s upcoming road trip is perhaps the least surprising answer he could have possibly delivered.
The Celtics have made a personality out of accepting challenges and tackling them head-on, loving and learning from losses, and never getting too high or too low.
Matchups against the Thunder, Rockets, and the rest of the West won’t be easy, but it would be more concerning to see the Celtics back down then it is to see their excitement.
Last year, the Celtics strolled through the regular season and playoffs with very little resistance. But now, the league is pushing back on their winning ways, and their tallest task is still ahead of them.
The schedule directly in front of Boston is a scary one, but struggles or not, they are always down for a fight.
