Ranking the most anticipated games on the Celtics’ 2023-24 schedule

What’s the real-life equal of the NBA schedule launch? Perhaps leaves beginning to bud on bushes as summer season approaches? That’s solely nice when you’re a summer season individual. The primary flakes falling within the wintertime? Snow is a problem.

The reality is, nothing compares. For an NBA fan, studying when, the place, and who the Boston Celtics play is the proper method to break up an in any other case uninteresting offseason.

Nicely, yesterday was the day. After the league spent the previous week sprinkling breadcrumbs, they’ve lastly launched the full 82-game schedule for all 30 groups.

Let’s check out probably the most notable dates on Boston’s, we could?

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Honorable Point out: Opening Evening

The Celtics will kick off their quest to hold Banner 18 by paying a go to to the New York Knicks at Madison Sq. Backyard on October 25. Opening Evening all the time means extra, the video games are often high-energy with the gamers being wanting to get again out on the ground. In every of the previous three seasons, the Cs have had some memorable moments of their season opener.

In 2020, Jayson Tatum sunk a buzzer-beating three to down the Milwaukee Bucks in a thriller. The next 12 months, Boston got here up brief in opposition to the Knicks in double extra time, regardless of a 46-point effort from Jaylen Brown. Then, final season the Celtics blew the doorways of the rival Philadelphia 76ers to get their 2022-23 marketing campaign underway. As for this 12 months, there’s little question that the Cs shall be hungry after arising brief within the Jap Convention Finals final spring in opposition to the Miami Warmth.

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5. Get able to be taught French, buddy?

TD Backyard will open its doorways to French sensation and 2023 No. 1 total choose Victor Wembanyama on January 17 when the San Antonio Spurs come to city. It’ll be the primary probability for Celtics followers to see the seven-foot-four teenager dwell and in individual.

By all accounts, Wembanyama is predicted to be the most effective prospect since LeBron James, again when he entered the league in 2003. The Spurs rookie can do all of it. He’s obtained measurement, protection, taking pictures, and even ballhandling means.

He appeared in 44 complete video games in Europe final season, averaging 20.8 factors, 10.6 rebounds, and three.0 blocks per sport. Whereas the stats alone are spectacular, the highlights are the true draw with Wemby. His one-legged leap photographs, emphatic rejections, and putbacks on his personal missed threes are sufficient to place followers in seats for positive.

The Celtics and Spurs don’t have any historic rivalry, so it’s powerful to think about that the Backyard shall be juiced for this one. However, followers across the league are dying to get a take a look at the following large factor.

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4. A pair of acquainted faces

March 1 will mark the primary time that Grant Williams heads out on the parquet flooring as an opposing participant. The four-year Celtic joined the Dallas Mavericks over the summer season as a part of a sign-and-trade.

Williams had some ups and downs in Boston. One readily available, he scored a career-high 27 factors to assist the Cs get previous the Bucks in Recreation 7 of the 2022 Jap Convention Semifinals, pulling down 7 threes within the course of. All through that collection, the previous Tennessee star took on the powerful activity of slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo. Williams had many marquee defensive assignments in Boston. He spent loads of time defending the likes of Kevin Durant, Bam Adebayo, and even Joel Embiid.

Nearly as good as Williams was for the Celtics, he had some moments that brought on some followers to really feel he wasn’t well worth the payday that the Mavs gave him this summer season. Most notably, the “Imma make each” sport in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With simply 0.8 seconds remaining, No. 12 went to the road and had the possibility to assist the Celtics snap a two-game shedding streak. He started jawing forwards and backwards with Cavs star Donovan Mitchell and was caught on digicam saying, “Imma make each,” again and again.

Williams actually, didn’t, and the Celtics went on to take one of many funniest losses I’ve ever seen.

On the finish of the day, Williams was a great Celtic and will get a pleasant hand from the Backyard trustworthy.

His new teammate, Kyrie Irving, will most likely obtain the other. ‘Nuff mentioned.

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3. An early shot at some revenge

Boston’s house opener will occur on October 27 after they host the Warmth. The matchup will give the Celtics an opportunity at some early revenge in opposition to Miami — who they misplaced a letdown of a Recreation 7 at house again on Memorial Day.

The Cs had clawed their method again from an 0-3 deficit and had been seeking to change into the primary group to advance after falling into that gap. Sadly, Tatum rolled his ankle on the literal first play of the sport and wasn’t the identical after that. He completed the night time with simply 14 factors. And not using a full-strength Tatum, Boston wound up getting blown out 103-84, and the Warmth superior to their second NBA Finals in 4 seasons.

Miami has change into a new-age rival for the Celtics, relationship again to the early 2010s when LeBron James took his abilities to South Seashore. James helped the Warmth type a “Huge 3” consisting of him, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. They’d numerous battles with Boston’s trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen — who wound up becoming a member of the Warmth in 2012.

A decade later, the 2 groups are again on the high of the Jap Convention, having met in three of the final 4 convention finals. Will they meet in a fourth? Who is aware of. However they’ll be seeing one another in late October.

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2. Huge stage, greater rivalry

Christmas Day is maybe the most important stage of the NBA’s common season. This 12 months, one of many sport’s largest rivalries shall be on show on that large stage, because the Celtics pay a go to to the hated Los Angeles Lakers.

The 2 sides have a long-standing distaste for each other relationship all the way in which again to the Nineteen Sixties. In fact, it peaked within the Eighties when Boston and L.A. battled it out within the NBA Finals on three separate events with Larry Chicken and Magic Johnson main their respective groups.

Although it’s not fairly prefer it was again then, right now’s model of the rivalry nonetheless has some flare. For starters, simply take a look at the gamers concerned. Boston has an thrilling younger duo of Tatum and Brown, whereas L.A. is operating with James, a Celtic rival himself, and Anthony Davis, who was closely rumored to be coveted by the Cs again in 2019.

Final season, it was in full swing. Each conferences between the Lakers and Celtics went into extra time, with Boston successful each. Hopefully, they’re in a position to sustain their successful methods on Christmas.

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1. Homecoming king

Many Celtics followers have been awaiting the date of Marcus Smart’s return to Boston since late June when he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Nicely, they’ve obtained their reply.

Good and the Grizzlies pays their solely go to to the Celtics on February 4, permitting the Backyard trustworthy to bathe the nine-year Celtic with love and belief for the primary time as a visiting participant.

The 29-year-old has performed the nineteenth most regular-season video games for Boston within the group’s 76 seasons with 581 appearances. He additionally ranks twenty fifth on the franchise’s all-time scoring checklist with 6,141 profession factors.

Because the Celtics drafted Good at No. 6 total in 2014, the has group by no means didn’t make the playoffs. He helped them attain 5 Jap Convention Finals, even attending to the NBA Finals in 2022.

The Celtics will undoubtedly have a video tribute ready for Good, as they’ve finished for returning gamers for years — even Kelly Olynyk obtained one. You’d should think about that the reception he’ll get from the house followers shall be one thing particular.