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Do you like roller coasters? When I was 8 years old I remember going on one for the first time. The ride was long, green, and had a face that resembled a fire-breathing dragon. I got on and the ride began; I twisted and turned, went round and round, up and down, and left and right.
It was terrifying. I couldn't handle it. And I cried until I was off. Once I did, it took me another 10 years to finally try riding a roller coaster again.
Once I found the courage to do it, I had a few moments of uncertainty, but then I felt a kick of adrenaline and fell in love with it. That intense feeling of exhilaration I experienced on a roller coaster is something that I now desperately desire.
There is nothing better.
And that's exactly how this season feels for the Boston Celtics. We have gone down after a disheartening four game losing streak to start the year, but we have gone back up after the Celts came back and heroically won the next four. Boston was expected to extend that streak to five on Wednesday, but they lost.
Does that signal an upcoming twist on the Celtics roller coaster? No one knows what's coming next, but it sure looks like we are about to encounter a Kingda Ka type of drop.
Starting tonight, the Boston Celtics will face six opponents with a combined 38-14 record. After tonight's game against Portland (6-2), the Celtics will face Minnesota (6-3), Houston (6-4), San Antonio (8-1), Indiana (8-0), and Atlanta (4-4).
Brad Stevens talked about the upcoming schedule this morning, "This is a heck of a stretch and if you get too caught up with the stretch itself, it becomes daunting." He said, "You have to look at it minute-by-minute and day-by-day. We need to try and play as well as we can tonight."