THE SCENARIO: It is October 2016. The Boston Celtics are now under new ownership following the sale of the team by Boston Basketball LLC. Former Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford has signed with the team and to join forces with another All Star in point guard Isaiah Thomas. With a strong core in place to compete immediately and an array of picks in future drafts, the Celtics are one of the few teams in the East that can possibly compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers. New owner Bernard Patton has hired Derek Lee as the GM, but can he add the right pieces to the team to lead them to a record 18th title?

Previous episodes: Episode 1

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1 November 2016

Our schedule for November features three sets of back-to-backs, beginning tomorrow at home to the Bulls and then away in Cleveland the following night. The first six games of the month follow an alternating home-then-away pattern, before two road games against the Pacers and Pelicans. After this we have two home games against the Mavericks and Warriors.  A short three-game road trip follows before we end the month against the Spurs, Heat, and Pistons.

2 November 2016

Chicago Bulls vs Boston Celtics

A rematch against the Bulls, this time at TD Garden. After losing to them on their home court, we’re out for revenge in this one. Horford is still out injured, which means more minutes for Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller. The key to victory once again is to limit Butler and Wade, and hopefully we do a better job this time.

We sort of do that I guess, as Butler finishes with 24 points and Wade has 22. The key to our victory is actually Thomas, who pours in 32 points. This is his second straight game with at least 30, and we needed his points as no one else had more than 12. The win puts us back at .500, but it comes at a cost as Bradley injures his toe and is now out for 1-2 weeks. Luck of the Irish my @$$.

3 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Next up we’re against the defending champs, the Cavs. With two of our starters missing, I’m not optimistic about our chances of winning but who knows right?

Who knows? Turns out I don’t know anything as we come away from the champions’ arena with a win. Despite 83 points from their big three of LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love, our guys play with a lot of heart and determination and walk away with a 115-109 win. Thomas leads the way with 26 points, and is ably supported by five others who finish with at least 10. Olynyk and Zeller have solid games deputising for Horford while Crowder plays some hard-nosed defense on James.

6 November 2016

Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics

Off the back of that unexpected win in Cleveland, morale is good as we welcome the Nuggets to Boston for our next game. We’ll have to be wary of Nikola Jokic, while Wilson Chandler and Gary Harris also pose a threat with their shooting.

The Nuggets end up bringing us back down to earth as they take this one 116-108 to hand us our first loss at home. Chandler, Jokic, and Harris are among five Denver players in double figures. Thomas once again has a strong offensive game with 36 points, but this time it wasn’t enough for us to win. And we have more bad luck with injuries as Zeller goes down with a sprained ankle and is out for at least a month. Are we the Boston Celtics or the Boston Black Cats? Boston Broken Mirrors maybe? Anyone?

9 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards

Looking to bounce back from the loss to the Nuggets, we travel to Washington to play the Wizards. Both teams enter this game with a 3-3 record, but the Wizards have momentum on their side, having won three straight after a bad start to the season.

A very close game ends in defeat for us as we fall 95-91. Despite having three players out injured, we dig in and manage to stay close to the Wizards. It’s only down the stretch that we fail to get the stops we need and miss some threes that would’ve made all the difference. Thomas has 27 points but besides him only Olynyk and Crowder manage at least 10. The Wizards’ Bradley Beal has 21 points while John Wall has 12 points and 11 assists.

11 November 2016

I decide to pull the trigger on an early trade, and send seldom used guards James Young and Demetrius Jackson to the Thunder. In return, we receive Jerami Grant and Andre Roberson. Roberson is on an expiring contract, while Grant has a Team Option after this season. The trade gives us some extra depth on the roster, while also giving us flexibility to free up cap space in the offseason.

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics

Following the trade, Grant and Roberson pull on Celtics jerseys for the first time as we host the Knicks. Horford is also available after recovering from his injury.

The big man makes an immediate impact as he scores 24 points to lead all scorers in our 107-99 win. A balanced offensive effort leads to five other Celtics scoring in double digits. The newly acquired duo however are scoreless and a combined 0-5 from the field. I’m not worried though, as I didn’t bring them here for their offense and they didn’t have time to practice with their new teammates. As they learn our system, they’ll start to have more of an impact on games.

12 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers

Our next game is away to the Pacers. The second night of a back-to-back is usually tough, so we’ll have to try even harder to stop Paul George if we want to win.

We end up playing really well and a seven point lead after one quarter is slowly increased to 24-point lead at the start of the 4th. We finish with a 115-92 win in the end, as George is held to just 13 points. Is that why they call him PG13? He only scores 13 points a game? Seven Celtics finish with at least 10 points in a balanced offensive showing led by IT’s 22 points. Two wins in a row has our record looking more respectable at 5-4.

14 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans

Another road game, this time in the Big Easy as we take on the Pelicans. Having added DeMarcus Cousins to a roster already featuring Anthony Davis, many expected the Pelicans to be one of the top-5 teams in the West. Instead, they’ve gotten off to a terrible 2-8 start.

Make that 2-9. Thomas scores 32 points and the returning Bradley chips in with 19 to lead us to a 108-93 win. Davis and Cousins combine for 41 points, but the Pelicans don’t get enough out of their supporting cast and fall to their third straight loss.

16 November 2016

Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics

The Mavs are the visitors tonight as we look to make it four straight wins. They’re only 4-5 so far, but we can’t underestimate them.

Well, I don’t think we underestimated them, but we didn’t play well either. Turnovers are a problem as we commit 17 of them, compared to the Mavericks’ 9. Facing a 13 point deficit entering the 4th, we go on a run to trim it to single digits but fall 98-92 in the end. No one on either team finishes with at least 20 points, but the Mavericks shoot way more free throws which made the difference in the end.

18 November 2016

Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics

I don’t have a good feeling heading into this game against the Warriors, but their above average 6-5 record suggests that beating them isn’t impossible.

Pffftt… It might not have been impossible for the five teams that beat them, but it sure was for us. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combine for 93 (NINETY THREE!!!) points while our entire team can only muster 96. It’s a blowout, plain and simple, with a final score of 117-96. At least we only play these guys twice in the regular season.

19 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons

A visit to the Pistons seems like a great opportunity to rebound from that loss to the Warriors. They’re only 4-9, and have lost their last three games. Surely we’ll get back to winning ways here.

It ends in a 105-68 blowout. But before you get excited I should point out that we were on the receiving end of it. Thomas has a night to forget with 8 points on 4-17 shooting, but in truth no one played well. The team finishes 28-85 (33%) from the field, 6-30 (20%) from 3-point range, and 6-12 (50%) from the free throw line. WHAT THE F**K.

21 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Minnesota Timberwolves

The only way to bounce back from a blowout is to forget it and work twice as hard in the next game. For us, that’s against the Timberwolves, coached by ex-Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau. They’re one of the surprise teams this season and have a 8-4 record so far. Still, I’m sure our guys will want to prove a point after that last game.

If the point was that they can follow up a blowout loss with yet another blowout loss, then congrats guys! You’ve done it, you useless b@$****s! FML. This game is over after one quarter as Minnesota race out to a 20-point lead. From there the lead just keeps growing until it ends 113-75.

After the game, I’m asked what I’m going to do after two embarrassing losses. I’m gonna trade some of these guys is what I’m gonna do. I had been thinking of another trade to follow the one with OKC, and this has made up my mind.

Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce you to the newest Celtic… Mr Paul Millsap.

I had to give up Bradley and Johnson to get him, but All-Star talent doesn’t come cheap. The roster needed to be shaken up, and I now have a third All Star to go with Thomas and fellow ex-Hawk Horford. Hopefully the move takes some of the offensive burden off Thomas’ shoulders. Does it give us enough to dethrone the Cavs? I can’t answer that yet, but at least the fans are happy with the trade.

23 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets

If you could pick your opponents after suffering 4 straight losses, you would probably pick the Nets. They’re 2-11 so far and are the ideal opponents for us to end our losing streak. Millsap will make his Celtics debut in this game.

The new boy does a bit of everything with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a game high 4 steals as we win 102-95. Our other former Hawk, Horford leads the way with 23 points while Thomas has 17.

25 November 2016

San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics

The Nets were easily handled, but the Spurs (9-6) will be a much tougher test.

They were tough, but we still handled them quite comfortably. Horford had 31 points before fouling out in the 4th, while Millsap had a 21 point / 12 rebound double-double. Crowder, Thomas, and Smart also chipped in on offense while Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points for the Spurs.

28 November 2016

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

Our last two victories, while comfortable, were only decided by single digits. It would be nice to win a game with a bigger margin for once and with Millsap slowly adjusting to our system perhaps we can do that tonight.

You’re damn right we do. In our best game of the season so far, we do everything well and douse the Heat with a 109-58 win. Chris Bosh is their leading scorer with a measly 11 points thanks to our stellar defense. By contesting every shot, we force them into shooting 32% from the field and 22% from 3-point range. That’s three straight wins following the trade, and we’ll try to make it four in our last game of the month.

30 November 2016

Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics

The final game of the month is against the Pistons. I haven’t forgotten our loss to them earlier this month, and I want to repay the favour. They’ve lost five straight since we last saw them, so this is a prime opportunity for revenge.

Well, we got some revenge by winning but it wasn’t the blowout I had hoped for. Strong quarters either side of half-time helped us build a double-digit lead, and we saw it through to win 103-90. Millsap and Thomas had 19 points each while Horford had 17 along with 12 boards. Andre Drummond had 16 points and 19 rebounds for the Pistons.

We’ve won four straight since acquiring Millsap, and we’ll try to keep the winning streak going in December. For now, our record (10-8) looks a whole lot better than it did a few weeks ago.

We end the month sitting in 5th place in the East, behind the Bucks, Cavaliers, Bulls, and Raptors. At the other end of the standings, the Nets are rock bottom with an NBA worst 2-15 record.

Over in the West, the Jazz are the surprise leaders with an NBA best 16-3 record. The Rockets, Thunder, and Warriors aren’t far behind though, while it’s the Kings who are at the bottom of the conference.

Screenshots from NBA 2K17 by 2K Sports