You can start marking up your calendars as the NBA has released their 2017-18 schedule, which tips-off Tuesday, October 17, when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Celtics on TNT.
With the regular season set to begin two weeks earlier to limit back-to-back games and eliminate situations like teams playing four-games in five-nights, the 2017-18 campaign will still end the second week in April as usual.
For the Celtics, who have added more depth via free agency - Gordon Hayward, the draft - Jayson Tatum and trade - Marcus Morris, will look to return to the Eastern Conferance Finals and possibly beyond this season.
The Celtics will be nationally televised at least 25 times (TNT: 11, ESPN: 10, ABC: 4) in what should be one of the most anticipated seasons since the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett era ended in 2013.
Boston will have a five-game home stretch from Nov. 27 to Dec. 6 when they'll host Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Dallas and another four-game homestand from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, as they'll face Houston, Brooklyn, Houston and Minnesota. Other than those two stretches at home, the Celtics will not have more than three consecutive games at the TD Garden this season.
The C's will have two separate four-game road trips beginning on Jan. 23 when they'll travel to Los Angeles to play a back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers respectively, followed by the Warriors two nights later and the Nuggets on Jan. 29. Boston will then head out west again from March 23-28 to take on Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix and Utah in that order.
In each of the last five seasons the Celtics have played anywhere from 17 to 20 back-to-backs, but with the new early mid-October start, Boston will only have 14 back-to-backs during the 2017-18 campaign (seven before Jan. 1, and seven after the start of the new year).
Here's some notable Celtics games for the upcoming season:
Tuesday, Oct. 17: @Cleveland on TNT (NBA's opening night and C's first national televised game)
Wednesday, Oct. 18: Milwaukee (Opening night at the TD Garden)
Friday, Oct. 20: @Philadelphia (First game against No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz)
Thursday, Nov. 17: Golden State on TNT (the only Boston appearance the Warriors will make)
Monday, Nov. 27: Detroit (Avery Bradley's return to TD Garden since ECF)
Friday, Dec. 8: @San Antonio on ESPN (Can Brad Stevens finally beat Popovich on the road?)
Monday, Dec. 25: Washington on ABC (First ever NBA Christmas Day game in Boston)
Wednesday, Jan. 3: Cleveland on ESPN (Cavs at TD Garden for the first time since Game 5 of ECF)
Thursday, Jan. 11: Philly on NBATV (First NBA regular-season game in London for both teams)
Saturday, Jan. 27: @Golden State on ABC (Will the C's make it three-wins in a row at Oracle?)
Wednesday March 28: @Utah on ESPN (Gordon Hayward's return to Salt Lake City)
Which Celtics games are you looking forward to?
Joel Pavón
Follow @CausewayStreet
Photo used courtesy of The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment