Celtics Schedule - First Half

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MY NOTE:  The Two Js and Smart.  No Kemba, a sponsor's airplane instead.  THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED!

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https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/misc-120420-breaking-down-first-half-2020-21-celtics-schedule







Breaking Down the First Half of the 2020-21 Celtics Schedule



By Taylor C. Snow |  @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com

December 4, 2020


The NBA on Friday released the first half of its 2020-21 schedule in preparation for what will be the most unorthodox season in league history - sans last season. There have been several changes made to accommodate these uncertain times, but we here at Celtics.com are here to take you through some of those alterations below in a by-the-numbers guide.


A Much Later Start

Due to the fact that the 2020 NBA Finals ended one week after when the preseason typically begins, the league had to push back its 2020-21 schedule by two months in order to provide enough rest for the players who participated in the NBA bubble.

As a result, the upcoming season will not begin until Dec. 22. In the Celtics’ case, they will open their season the following day, Dec. 23, at TD Garden, where they will host the Milwaukee Bucks on TNT.

This marks the latest regular-season start since the 2011-12 lockout campaign, which began on Christmas Day of 2011. The main difference between this season and that one is that the lockout season consisted of only 66 regular-season games per team, while this season will feature 72 contests per team with the possibility of not having an All-Star break. As a result, this will be the most condensed season in recent memory, featuring very little rest.


Introducing the Two-Game "Series"

In order to decrease the amount of travel this season, the NBA has redesigned its schedule to allow teams to play each other in back-to-back games without boarding a plane in between. The Celtics, for example, will have five two-game series during the first half of their season, including four such matchups within the first month.

Boston will experience its first two-game series on its very first road trip of the season, when it travels to Indiana to take on the Pacers for Games 3 and 4 of the campaign on Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. It will then come home for one game against Memphis, before hitting the road for another two-game tilt in Detroit, taking place on New Years Day and on Jan. 3

The C’s will then host its first series against Orlando on Jan. 13 and Jan. 15. It will then have another road series in Philadelphia on Jan. 20 and 22, before hosting its final series of the first half against Atlanta on Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.

As you can see, none of these series are taking place in back-to-back form, so the visiting team will arrive, play its first game, and then have one day off before wrapping up the series on the third day.


An Uptick in Back-to-Backs

Even though none of the two-game series will be played in a back-to-back format, there will still be plenty of back-to-back games taking place this season. The league is estimating that each team will play approximately 14 back-to-backs over the course of the 72-game season, which would be a fairly significant increase from last season when Boston had been scheduled to play 12 games of its 82 games on zero days rest.

The Celtics will experience seven back-to-backs during the first half of the season, with five of those falling during a Tuesday-Wednesday span. Boston will have three back-to-backs entirely on the road, one that takes place entirely at home, two that start on the road and end at home, and one that starts at home and finishes on the road.

The C’s first back-to-back will take place from Dec. 29-30, starting with a game against the Pacers in Indianapolis, followed by a game back home against Memphis. A few days later they’ll have a Jan. 3-4 road-road back-to-back against the Pistons in Detroit, followed by a game against the Raptors inside their temporary arena in Tampa Bay. The following week, from Jan. 12-13, they’ll have a two-game tilt against the Bulls in Chicago, and against the Magic in Boston. Chicago will also be included on the tail end of their next back-to-back, which will start Jan. 24 at home against Cleveland, followed by another game at United Center the next night.

The last three back-to-backs will fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in February, starting with two games in San Francisco and Sacramento on Feb. 2-3, two games at home against Denver and Atlanta on Feb. 16-17, and finally two more games on the road in Dallas and Atlanta on Feb. 23-24.


Little Rest for the Weary

Due to the condensed schedule and the plethora of back-to-backs, there won’t be much opportunity for players to rest this season. For the Celtics, they will have a particularly hectic start to their season, playing 15 games from Dec. 23 through Jan. 17, with no more than one day of rest between games.

In fact, Boston will only be granted multiple days of rest on four separate occasions during the first half of the season with three of those instances falling during the last two weeks of January. Other than that, the C’s will be forced to grind through what is sure to be the most physically demanding season in recent memory.


Homestands and Road Trips

Since the league is emphasizing teams staying in one region for as long as possible, there will be quite a few long homestands and road trips this season. The first third of Boston’s schedule will take place mostly on the road, as it will play 16 of its first 26 games away from TD Garden. From Dec. 27 through Jan. 6, the C’s will play six out of a possible seven games on the road, including four consecutive games in Detroit (two times), Tampa (against the Raptors), and Miami, from Jan. 1-6.

Boston will then have an even longer string of road games spanning from Jan. 20 through Feb. 9, when they will play nine out of 11 away from home. That will include a five-game trip out west, where they will play Golden State, Sacramento, the L.A. Clippers, Phoenix, and Utah, respectively, over an eight-day span.

When that trip concludes Feb. 9, the Celtics will return home to TD Garden where they will play nine of their next 12 games. They’ll start off with a five-game homestand against Toronto, Washington, Denver, and Atlanta (twice). They will then head down south for three games in New Orleans, Dallas and Atlanta. Finally, they will wrap up the first half of the season with a four-game homestand against Indiana, Washington, the Clippers, and Toronto, respectively.


Nationally Televised Games

Nearly half of Boston’s first 38 games will be broadcast across the country, including its Opening Night matchup against Milwaukee on TNT. Three of its games will be televised on ABC, five on ESPN, four on NBATV, and six on TNT, for a total of 18 nationally televised games. The rest will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston.


Bob


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/12/nba-warns-of-fines-suspensions-losing-draft-picks-for-violating-covid-19-protocols-report.html



NBA warns of fines, suspensions, losing draft picks for violating COVID-19 protocols (report)



Updated 7:47 PM; Today 7:47 PM


By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



The NBA has sent a long memo detailing harsh penalties for violating league COVID-19 protocols and contributing to a spread of the virus, according to ESPN.

The report details the penalties as “fines, suspensions, adjustment or loss of draft choices and game forfeitures.”

The NBA decided to quickly move onto the 2020-21 season after initially intending to wait until as late as March to start the next season. Part of that delay may have been the hope for a vaccine or other solution that eased the fears of a coronavirus outbreak.


The quick pivot was, in part, an admission that waiting wasn’t going to provide that kind of solution, so the league pivoted to strict protocols in hopes of somehow recreating the success of the Orlando bubble without the actually bubble itself.

“All of our people and the people that are in charge of getting us through these protocols every single day, they’re working so hard, especially leading up to the last week,” Brad Stevens said on Saturday evening. “A lot of these people are working 16-18 hour days, and are getting hit every which way and I know the NBA has done an unbelievable job. I lived the bubble. I saw how buttoned up everything was. We were there almost 90 days and never felt like it was anything but exceptionally well done with regard to that health and safety around COVID.”

Among the reported safeguards to protect players and staff on the road are creating a list of approved restaurants for NBA dining in each city that either offer outdoor seating or fully private dining areas. Players are also reportedly forbidden from clubs and bars, live entertainment venues, gyms, spas, and other gatherings larger than 15 people. Players who violate those rules would subject themselves and their teams to the harsh penalties, as would teams who attempt to hide those violations.

Stevens admits the rush of preparing for this season has kept him from reading the full memo, but he still feels good about what the league is trying to accomplish.

“I trust all the things that are being put into place, as everybody else does,” Stevens said. “I think we all have a responsibility to do all of this as well as we can, and the amount of work and time both the NBA and our own liaisons working with the NBA are putting in is obviously a lot.”


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