For much of the offseason, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers dominated NBA headlines. Boston retooled its roster, trading All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown after a disappointing postseason run that ended in a first-round loss to Philadelphia. The 76ers loaded up by acquiring Brown from the Celtics in exchange for veteran Paul George and draft-pick compensation, signing LeBron James, and re-signing James Harden to a roster that already featured former MVP Joel Embiid and one of the league's rising stars, Tyrese Maxey. 

Much of the discussion leading up to and in the wake of the Brown trade is the supposed friction between the former Celtics star and his former teammate, Jayson Tatum. It was a storyline that had persisted for years during the duos nearly decade long run as one of the premier one-two punches in the league. One that both had pushed back against as simply being outside noise. 

However, ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup between the two sides, that "noise" seemed to be more than that. As both teams took to the court for warmups, Tatum and Brown, the latter of whom didn't play in the contest, were spotted by NBC Sports Boston cameras just feet away from each other. However, the pair didn't even exchange so much as a glance in the other's direction. 

Sure, Tatum was preparing to play in a game, but it was just a preseason game, with no implications beyond a tune-up for the regular season. That explanation also holds little weight when you consider the welcome that Tatum's former teammate Marcus Smart got when he returned for a regular-season game on Feb. 4, 2024, as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies: 

Clearly, preparing for and playing in a regular-season game didn't deter Tatum from catching up with Smart, who, like Brown, didn't play in that matchup. 

Brown didn't even bother to watch the game from the bench; instead, NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin reported that the longtime Celtic chose to watch from the visiting locker room. Based on their behavior toward each other on Saturday, those rumors of friction seem more than a media-driven narrative. 

With both sides appearing to hold more animosity toward each other than they led on, could the league have made a massive scheduling mistake? The two sides will meet four times in the regular season, and all four will be broadcast on national TV. However, none of the matchups fall on the league's premier days, including Opening Night and Christmas Day, when both teams play, but not against each other. 

After Boston blew a 3-1 lead to Philadelphia to end last season, the trade of Brown and the signing of James, who has been a longtime rival of Boston dating back to his time with Cleveland, it figured to be a slam dunk to have the two sides face off on at least one of those days when the league has the most eyes on it. 

Of course, much of that stemmed from the uncertainty around how competitive Boston would be after trading its former superstar. But after Tatum and Brown failed to even acknowledge each other while standing just feet apart, it feels like the rivalry will ratchet up a notch, and the NBA failed to capitalize on it. 

The Celtics and the 76ers' first regular-season meeting is set for Nov. 10 in Philadelphia. After that, the two sides will wait nearly two months before meeting again, as Brown returns to TD Garden for his first regular-season game as a visitor on Jan. 21. 

The Celtics will host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night in the penultimate game of their four-game preseason schedule. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.