Can C's have a .500 or better record by Jan 1st?

[saltlover]

We struggled through a difficult November, but a much easier part of the schedule is coming up.  The only team with a record currently above .500 that we play until January is Washington (two more times).  To get to .500 or better, we would need to go at least 7-4 over the rest of the month.  Here are the rest of the games in December, with the opponent's current record.

@WAS (13-6)
@CHA (5-15)
NYK (4-18)
@PHI (2-18)
ORL (9-14)
MIN (4-15)
@MIA (9-11)
@ORL (9-14)
BKN (8-10)
@WAS (13-6)
SAC (10-10)

Our only back-to-backs are tonight at Washington, and our next game at Washington as well.  Do you think there are 7 wins in that schedule?  I personally do.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if the C's were in the 6th or 7th playoff spot heading into the New Year.

EDIT:  I can't do math and we'd need to go 8-3, which would get us to 15-14.  7-4 would be 14-15, but still probably good for #7 in the East.

[Evantime34]

If we go 7-4 in these games we are actually a game under .500. So we would need to go 8-3.

I think we will beat Charlotte, New York, Philli, Minnesota, split with Orlando.

IF we can win three of Washington(x2), Miami, Brooklyn, Orlando and Sacramento.

I doubt we go 8-3 but if we can go over .500 for December it will certainly be a step in the right direction.

[Celtics18]

I'd take 6 and 5.  That would put us at 13 and 16 by year's end. 

Let's start tonight by completing a mini sweep of the Wizards. 

[mmmmm]

It's certainly within reach.

My original projection was to be 13-16 as of Jan 1, based on losing to all the "good" teams and beating all the "bad" teams based on SRS ranking.

We are now officially ahead of that pace by 1 game based on the win against the Wizards (which was a "paper loss" in the projection).   But random luck may just as easily have us lose a game against one to the teams that we are supposed to beat.

We've climbed up the SRS rankings to 16th now, and our Pythagorean W-L record is 8-10 (meaning we have already been slightly unlucky and lost one more game than we should have).   

All those numbers projects us out to eventually be very close to a .500 team.  Still early for that to be compelling, of course.

So for now, I'm still projecting to be 13-16.   But I won't be shocked if we exceed that.

[mgent]

My plan was just to stretch this 3 win streak out to 7 and be .500 this time next week.

Beyond that, I guess it looks like we're playing ORL twice and MIN, which should be easy pickings.  I'm not scared of BKN or WAS, we've already beaten them.  Our guys are gonna up for the Miami game because there's no LeBron and they want to beat them.  And that just leaves Sac at home.  I can't see us losing 4 of those games.

[D.o.s.]

you've already proven that they 'can', so the answer is: yes.

[Rondo2287]

I hope not

[jpotter33]

My plan was just to stretch this 3 win streak out to 7 and be .500 this time next week.

Beyond that, I guess it looks like we're playing ORL twice and MIN, which should be easy pickings.  I'm not scared of BKN or WAS, we've already beaten them.  Our guys are gonna up for the Miami game because there's no LeBron and they want to beat them.  And that just leaves Sac at home.  I can't see us losing 4 of those games.

Legitimately, though, if we could pull out a win tonight in Washington, we'd have a real shot at putting a 9 game winning streak together. We've already won three in a row, and tonight would make it four. After that is @Cha, NYK, @Phi, Orl, Min,which are all games we should win or at least compete in. Of course, we'd have to pull out another underdog win tonight and everything would have to go right, but it's possible.

[furball]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games. 

[Evantime34]

Although it has seemed bleak in the first month of the season, a lot of that has had to do with a west heavy schedule. The C's are 1-7 against the West and 6-4 against the East.

The next 11 games to end the year feature 9 eastern conference opponents and only two western conference opponents (one of which is the struggling Timberwolves team).

Hopefully Bass and Thornton really excel during this december stretch so contenders are enticed to trade for them.

[jpotter33]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games.

That ship has long sailed. We're way too good to be tanking right now, and it'd only work if we sold all of our players off. Right now our best bet is to try and pull a Houston, make the playoffs, and hopefully try to pull one of the bigger FA names over here this summer with Rondo.

[Celtics18]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games.

That ship has long sailed. We're way too good to be tanking right now, and it'd only work if we sold all of our players off. Right now our best bet is to try and pull a Houston, make the playoffs, and hopefully try to pull one of the bigger FA names over here this summer with Rondo.

The guy with the creepy clown mask has it right. 

[saltlover]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games.

The East is terrible.  There isn't one team in the conference I'd be truly terrified of running into during the playoffs.  I'd love for this team to make it and see what happens in April and May.  Making it to the second round would not surprise me if we won enough to make it in.  Worst-to-first worked for us once, but it's the exception and not the rule.  You need some intermediate steps, and a low playoff seed and competitive or even successful 1st round series is one of those steps.

[jpotter33]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games.

That ship has long sailed. We're way too good to be tanking right now, and it'd only work if we sold all of our players off. Right now our best bet is to try and pull a Houston, make the playoffs, and hopefully try to pull one of the bigger FA names over here this summer with Rondo.

The guy with the creepy clown mask has it right.

Haha it's the Joker get it right! 

[furball]

Why are people making this sound like it would be a good thing??  I hope we are not .500 by New Years.  I hope they don't hit .500 all season.  Who wants to be mediocre.  We need high draft picks not useless play-off games.

That ship has long sailed. We're way too good to be tanking right now, and it'd only work if we sold all of our players off. Right now our best bet is to try and pull a Houston, make the playoffs, and hopefully try to pull one of the bigger FA names over here this summer with Rondo.

The guy with the creepy clown mask has it right.

Haha it's the Joker get it right! 

I don't know man, this has Atlanta Hawks written all over it.  I am not saying they have to go the way of the 76ers but get into the lottery and hope for a Cleveland move up.  That or trade all of our assets for Kobe and make a move to contend.  Mediocre is Hell and it's a long Hell.