We all know what happens tomorrow night at Quicken oans Arena. The Boston Celtics come to town in a death match of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, in the NBA for that matter. What many may not know is that things are going to get a whole lot tougher for the Cavaliers after the showdown with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
After Friday the Cavs will play 10 more games in January, 8 of those are on the road where the Cavs are a much more beatable 10-6. Worse yet, those 8 road opponents have combined to go 86-37 on their respective home floors this season. While the meeting with the Celtics on Friday is huge, it could be the rest of January that really determines the Cavaliers' playoff fate.
Let's take a closer look at the rest of the month, with the home/road record of the opponent the Cavaliers are playing --
1/13 - @ Memphis (9-11 @ Home)
1/15 - @ Chicago (11-5 @ Home)
1/16 - Vs New Orleans (10-7 on the road)
1/19 - @ LA Lakers (18-2 @ Home)
1/21 - @ Portland (13-4 @ Home)
1/23 - @ Golden State (6-8 @ Home)
1/24 - @ Utah (14-4 @ Home)
1/27 - Vs Sacramento (2-17 on the road)
1/29 - @ Orlando (15-3 @ Home)
Only twice do the Cavaliers play a team that is under-.500 in the venue they are playing them. During the stretch the Cavs will face New Orleans, the Lakers and Orlando, 3 teams with legitmate shots at the NBA Title. The Cavaliers have already lost on the road to New Orleans meaning it will be a tough win even at The Q.
It is true that Championships are won and lost in April and May. The mettle that builds a championship team comes from playing and winning these types of game in January. 10 games, 17 days, the Top seed in the NBA at stake. All Ready!?!