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?
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1 October 2016
With the start of the new season only a few weeks away, I meet the owner to go over our goals for this season. With the players we have this season, we should be able to win the Atlantic Division. The big question is whether we have enough to beat LeBron James and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference.
The owner agrees with me that we can (and should) win the division. He hasn’t made any demands about winning the conference, but personally I’m aiming to dethrone King James. I’ll be looking at opportunities to improve our team further via trades.
Mr Patton clearly wants some quick returns on his investment and has targeted selling out 23 home games as well as getting our attendance in the top 10 in the league. With a good roster and a great coach, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t attract strong attendance numbers.
Team chemistry is also a priority for the owner, and he wants me to make sure player morale is kept high. One way to do that is by keeping any promises I make to the players.
Boston Celtics Roster
(*) indicates new player
PG: Demetrius Jackson*, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley, Gerald Green, James Young
SF: Jaylen Brown*, Jae Crowder
PF: Jonas Jerebko, Amir Johnson, Jordan Mickey
C: Al Horford*, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller
The addition of Al Horford via free agency gives us an upgrade at the 5, although I don’t think that’s enough to lift us over the Cavs in the East. #3 pick Jaylen Brown will have a bench role as he grows accustomed to the NBA while Isaiah Thomas will be relied upon to carry the offense.
The expiring contracts of Jerebko, Johnson, and Olynyk could be used as trade chips if I can get the right players in return to elevate us further.
Our season begins with a back-to-back. First up, the Nets visit TD Garden before we head out to Chicago to take on the Bulls. We then travel to Charlotte for a match-up against Kemba Walker and the Hornets.
26 October 2016
Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics
The Nets must hate seeing us after that disastrous trade that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett their way a few years ago. They essentially mortgaged their future by handing us all those draft picks, and didn’t get the championship they wanted before KG and The Truth left them.
The game itself is a pretty close one before a dominant 4th quarter gives us a comfortable win in the end. Horford has a solid first game with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists while Crowder, Thomas, and Bradley also contribute in the scoring column. Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and the Bulls are up next.
27 October 2016
Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls
It’s the Bulls’ first game of the season in front of their home crowd, while we’re playing the second night of a back-to-back. That alone makes it tough, but we’ll need to be wary of Jimmy Butler and new Bull, Dwyane Wade.
We manage to limit D-Wade to 11 points, but fail to do the same with Butler. The All-Star swingman explodes for 38 points on 14-27 shooting from the field to bury us. The Bulls also outrebound us 61-35 and to top it off, Horford twists his knee and is now out for at least a week. Not a good night at all.
29 October 2016
Boston Celtics vs Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have improved consistently over the last few years and made it back to the playoffs last season. Key to their resurgence has been the rise of Kemba Walker and we’ll need to contain him if we want the W.
For most of the game it looks like we’ll overcome Horford’s absence to come away with the win, but a cold run in the 4th allows Charlotte to come back and steal it. Thomas out duels Walker with a season high 35 points and 12 assists, but misses a couple of open threes in the 4th that might’ve led us to victory.
A 1-2 start to the season wasn’t what I expected but November will give us plenty of opportunities to improve our record, starting with a chance to exact our revenge on the Bulls back home.
Featured image by pixfly / shutterstock.com
Screenshots from NBA 2K17 by 2K Sports
