The Boston Celtics entered the regular season with a wide array of expectations. Some experts saw the team taking a major step backward after trading All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for what many saw as an underwhelming package centered on veteran forward Paul George and draft picks. Others saw Jayson Tatum taking a step forward and continuing to establish himself as one of the league's best players, carrying the Celtics to a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Among the people who were expecting Boston to take a step back were the national TV executives, who scheduled the Celtics for only 27 nationally televised games, seven shy of Brown and the new-look 76ers. 

However, the Celtics came out of the gate, firing on all cylinders and surging to a 10-2 record in their first 12 games, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. Boston has been led by Tatum, who is averaging 26.3 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the field (30.6 percent from beyond the arc), 6.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, leading the team in scoring and assists. George has also dialed back the clock and been a fantastic 'Robin' to Tatum's 'Batman'. The 36-year-old is averaging 22 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field (44 percent from three-point range). 

After the hot start, the Celtics are starting to get some love from the television networks. According to HeavyOnSports' Steve Bulpett, the Celtics matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Denver against the Nuggets has been flexed to ESPN's national coverage. The matchup between two of the last four NBA champions will replace the Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks game after the Warriors lost star Steph Curry to an oblique tear. 

Led by former Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and 2025-26 All-NBA guard Jamal Murray, Denver is off to a 6-4 start to the 2026-27 regular season, putting them in ninth place in the Western Conference. 

If the Celtics can continue their hot start to the season, they will undoubtedly see more of their games picked up by the national networks. 

The C's will test their six-game winning streak on Sunday evening as they kick off the first leg of a back-to-back when they host the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals. George is listed as a game-time decision with an illness. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. ET.