Robb: West Coast trip will tell us where Celtics stand in NBA hierarchy

It’s easy to forget that just over one year ago, the 2018-19 Celtics headed on their first long road trip of the season in November with the same kind of vibes that this group currently has. Kyrie Irving was playing terrific, carrying the C’s to four straight wins amid a 6-2 start before a five-game west coast swing. A 1-4 trip followed, and arguably should have been 0-5 given the fact it took a 20-point second-half comeback to squeak out a win against the lowly Suns in Phoenix.

Those Celtics returned to Boston essentially at the .500 mark, setting the stage for a season that was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows over the final 69 games. Jayson Tatum, for one, hasn’t forgotten how much of a mark that trip left, bringing it up on his own when asked about the trip that lies ahead.

“Just stay locked in. Keep it going,” Tatum said of this team’s mentality. "Take it one game at a time. Last year when we went on west coast trips we didn’t do too well. So just trying to change that around and keep it up.”

The Celtics have a greater margin of error this time around after putting together a 9-1 start to the year. However, both squads had managed some quality wins over playoff teams the toughest test arrived. This will be Boston’s longest road trip of the year and it comes fast and furious with just five games in eight days.

Brad Stevens has this group clicking well on the road thus far (4-1) but they haven’t exactly faced a tough opponent yet outside of opening night in hostile territory. The Knicks, Hornets and Cavs look destined for the lottery and the Spurs win in San Antonio looks less impressive by the day after they dropped a home contest to the Grizzlies earlier this week.

Against a mix of playoff teams and potential contenders out west, the Celtics are eager to put their best foot forward as they try to keep their streak going without Gordon Hayward in the mix.

“I think we feel good. I think we’re excited,” Jaylen Brown admitted. 
“This will be a really good test for us. The first road trip was kind of like a teaser. Now this is like the real thing, I guess – a long road trip, some tough games. We’ll see what we’re made of here, but we’ve got to come out and be ready to play.”

The path towards a winning trip is there given how injuries have already impact some of their opponents. Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell are the only healthy starters for the lowly Warriors who have been the worst team in the NBA through 11 games. The Kings have bounced back after a slow start but will play without their stud point guard De’Aaron Fox (sprained ankle) on Sunday afternoon. On paper, those are both games the C’s need to have to make it a successful trip.

After that? Boston will be playing with house money as they try to get wins in Phoenix (on a back-to-back) before paying a visit to the LA Clippers and Denver. The Clippers have surprisingly been reeling in recent weeks (7-5) but should be at full strength next Wednesday after Paul George returned to the lineup last night. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 8-3 and despite looking mortal at home with a couple of clunkers against the Hawks and Mavs, have the type of frontcourt that will challenge the C’s from a defensive and rebounding standpoint. Ending any trip in the high elevation of Denver is not easy on the body either, something Kemba Walker is well aware of.

“We’re going to learn a lot,” the All-Star said. “We’re going to learn a lot, man. When you go on road trips is when adversity starts to hit, fatigue starts to set in, guys want to get back home. Those trips are long. But we’re going to learn a lot about each other. But hopefully when adversity does hit, we’re going to see how we handle it. That’s what’s the most important thing. For me, I just want to keep this team together as much as possible. This is a huge stretch for us, really important, and it’s gonna show what we’re made of.”

While the nine-game winning streak has put more of a national lens on the C’s in recent weeks, there has remained a humble approach up and down the roster as the wins pile up. No one is believing their own hype anymore after the way last season went and that is producing a gritty defensive effort on most nights as well as an unselfish mentality on the offensive end. Whether or not that translates against elite opponents on the road is truly the final measuring stick for this team in determining how much of this start is a flash in the pan or sustainable over the long-term.

“We’ve got a lot of basketball in front of us and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Brown explained. “So I’m not making too big of a deal out of (the streak). I think we’ve just got to come out and keep winning. Don’t put too much pressure on us. We’ve just got to come out and try to keep winning.”

If the Celtics are good enough to go 3-2 or even 4-1 on this swing without one of their best players in Hayward, it should send a strong signal to the rest of the league that the C’s are pushing themselves into the top tier of East contenders with Milwaukee. Perhaps more importantly, it could push Danny Ainge to use some of his future draft stash to add a necessary upgrade or two in the coming months of what is shaping up to be a wide-open title race.

December 15th is officially when trade season begins (free agents become eligible to be dealt) but the C’s will have enough of a sample size after this trip to know who they are and what they can be. Playing well for 15 games is more than just a hot start: That's nearly 20 percent of the season. Come next weekend, we will have a better idea of where this team stands.