If the Celtics are looking to go on a run, there may be no better time than now. Clearly it's the holiday season because the NBA schedule makers have given the Celtics what appears to be a pretty soft slate from now until Christmas.

Consider this, the combined record of the Celtics' next 13 opponents leading up to a Christmas Day rematch with Orlando is 69-99. Only five of those upcoming opponents are among their conference's top eight teams (Milwaukee, Miami, Chicago, Indiana and Oklahoma City), and none is better than fifth (Milwaukee).

Here's a look at the schedule and current record of upcoming opponents:

Nov. 25 vs. Philadelphia (5-8)
Nov. 27 vs. Toronto (6-8)
Nov. 29 at Miami (8-5)
Dec. 1 at Charlotte (4-9)
Dec. 3 at San Antonio (6-6)
Dec. 4 at Oklahoma City (7-7)
Dec. 8 Milwaukee (8-4)
Dec. 10 at Washington (3-9)
Dec. 12 at Chicago (6-7)
Dec. 14 at Memphis (5-9)
Dec. 18 vs. Philadelphia (5-8)
Dec. 20 vs. Minnesota (1-13)
Dec. 22 vs. Indiana (5-6)
Dec. 25 at Orlando (11-3)

While seven of those 13 games are on the road, it's not inconceivable -- though admittedly highly improbable -- that the Celtics could wake up on Dec. 26 with a 24-4 record. How does that compare to past seasons? The Celtics were 27-4 on Dec. 26, 2008, and 23-3 on Dec. 26, 2007.