It was announced on Tuesday that the Celtics will take on the Miami Heat on the holiday.
On Tuesday, the NBA announced that the Boston Celtics will play the Miami Heat on Christmas Day as part of the league's five-game holiday schedule.
Also included on the schedule? The Philadelphia 76ers at the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James's return to LA; the San Antonio Spurs at the New York Knicks in an NBA Finals rematch and the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Golden State Warriors will also battle against the Denver Nuggets.
As for the Celtics, they are a regular on Christmas Day, having appeared on the holiday many, many times.
Boston played on Christmas each year from 1948-59, and then again in 1961, 64-65, '67-69, 1970-71, 1974, 1980, 1985, 1991, 2002, 2008-12, and 2016-25.
About the matchup with Miami
This matchup will be intriguing on a few fronts, but it's far from the most interesting matchup on the NBA's holiday calendar. Of course, the Celtics were beaten by the Heat this offseason on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market, which ultimately caused the Celtics to pivot and trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers.
It will be interesting to see how the Heat look with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo on the same roster and how head coach Erik Spoelstra will navigate having two capable big men in the same rotation.
But beyond the Antetokounmpo component, this game lacks true "zest" compared to the rest of the daily slate.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesWhat fans should be happy about
Well, this game is at home, which means it could make a great Christmas present for people all around New England. Furthermore, because it's set to start at 2:30 p.m. ET, it will be over by the night time, which allows for ample family time on all sides of the contest. That is a win.
Which matchup would you have rather wanted?
Well, seeing Brown return to Boston for the first time since the trade would have been the most intriguing thing that the NBA could do, but perhaps the decision to not do it means that we'll see that matchup on Opening Night, which would give some real intrigue to the first game of the season as well. The full schedule is announced on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the news for Boston
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Don Nelson died over the weekend at the age of 86 years old, leaving behind an incredible basketball legacy that saw him win five NBA titles as a player and become the second-winningest coach in NBA history.
All five of his titles came with the Celtics in the 1960s and 70s.
