{"id":52597,"date":"2023-08-17T18:26:37","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T22:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=52597"},"modified":"2023-08-17T19:39:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T23:39:50","slug":"nba-schedule-release-the-celtics-most-important-games-in-2023-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/08\/17\/nba-schedule-release-the-celtics-most-important-games-in-2023-24\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Schedule Release:\u00a0The Most Important Celtics Games in 2023-24"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The full NBA schedule was released today. Of course, in the NBA, every team faces off at least twice. But some matchups are more important and exciting than others. History between two teams often creates the most anticipated games and best matchups. Here are the Celtics most important games on the schedule this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>NBA Schedule Release:\u00a0The Most Important Celtics Games in 2023-24<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Celtics vs Heat: 10\/27 7:30 pm (ESPN)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Boston<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong> Celtics<\/strong><\/a>&#8216; home opener is a rematch from the thrilling Eastern Conference Finals series. The two teams have now faced off in 3 out of 4 of the past Eastern Conference finals and developed a rivalry. Miami\u2019s style of slow, grinded-out defensive games contrasts the Celtics play style of heavy three-pointers and high-powered offense. The result is ultra-competitive, close, and gritty games in both the regular season and postseason. One thing is certain TD Garden will be rocking for this home opener. As the Celtics look to get <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/05\/30\/eastern-conference-finals-celtics-topple-heat-for-crown\/\" target=\"_self\">revenge<\/a> on the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIA\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miami Heat<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Celtics vs Bucks: 11\/22\/23 7:30 pm (TNT)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Celtics and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Bucks<\/strong><\/a> are the two preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference. This matchup always produces high-stakes competitive games even in the regular season. Boston has been known to give <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a><\/strong> trouble with their size and strategy of constantly throwing different defenders at him. The addition of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kristaps Porzingis<\/strong><\/a> will make Boston even more equipped to guard Giannis. This game will give an important see how Milwaukee\u00a0matchups with the new look Celtics. This will be the first of four matchups between the two squads and a perfect game right before Thanksgiving day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Celtics @ Lakers: 12\/25\/23 5:00 pm (ABC)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Celtics will travel to LA on Christmas day to face off against the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lakers<\/a><\/strong>. Setting up a classic rivalry game with two of the most iconic franchises in the league. Celtics-Lakers matchups are usually games both fanbases mark on their calendar. The historic rivalry often produces ultra-competitive close games. The matchup got the 5:00 clock slot and all eyes will be on this rivalry Christmas day. Since <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a><\/strong> has gone to the Lakers, this rivalry has been revamped. It&#8217;s in part because the Lakers became good again but also because of LeBron\u2019s long history of great matchups with Boston. This will be the 5th time the iconic rivalry is featured on Christmas Day and the first time since 2008.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Celtics vs Spurs: 1\/17\/24 7:30 pm (NBC Boston)<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a><\/strong> is the most hyped-up prospect since LeBron James in 2003. At 7 -foot-5, Wembanyama can handle the ball and shoot like a guard while being an elite rim protector and shot blocker. Wemby is a true unicorn and something the league has never seen before. As a result, his first time at the Garden will be a special experience and a highlight of the Celtics schedule. The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/SAS\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spurs<\/a><\/strong> also have a solid and fun young team. So this could end up being an entertaining and competitive game\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Celtics vs Grizzlies: 2\/4\/24 6:00 pm (ESPN)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After spending nine years with the Celtics,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smartma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Smart<\/a><\/strong> will return to the Garden on February 4th as a member of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MEM\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Memphis Grizzlies<\/a><\/strong>. This summer, Smart was a part of the three-team blockbuster <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/06\/24\/nba-news-marcus-smarts-emotional-farewell-to-the-celtics\/\" target=\"_self\">trade<\/a> which helped the Celtics land <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kristaps Porzingis<\/strong><\/a>. His nine years with the Celtics were filled with success, including a Defensive Player of the Year award, five conference finals appearances, and an NBA finals appearance. During his tenure, Smart was a fan favorite and became one of the most beloved players in Boston\u2019s illustrious franchise history. Smart\u2019s return to the Garden will be one of the most anticipated and welcomed returns in recent memory. It is certainly a highlight on the Celtics schedule. Additionally, at this point in the year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moranja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Ja Morant<\/strong> <\/a>will be back from his 25-game suspension making the on-court matchup more competitive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Celtics vs Warriors: 3\/3\/24 3:30 pm (ABC)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This game will be a rematch from the 2022 NBA finals. Due to the elite offenses on both sides, Celtics-<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/GSW\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Warriors<\/a><\/strong> games have always been competitive and extremely entertaining. Making this matchup a highlight on the schedule each year. Since the 2022 finals there has seemed to be more at stake when these teams face off. The Celtics in particular seem eager to prove themselves against the 4x champs and the squad they fell short against in 2022. Last season, a mid-January Celtics-Warriors overtime game in Boston turned out to be one of the best Celtics games of the year. The Celtics walked away victorious winning 121-118. A nationally televised Sunday afternoon game between the two squads projects to be ultra-competitive and intense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The full NBA schedule was released today. Of course, in the NBA, every team faces off at least twice. But some matchups are more important and exciting than others. History between two teams often creates the most anticipated games and best matchups. Here are the Celtics most important games on the schedule this season.\u00a0 NBA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":52599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1608,62],"tags":[4195,4674],"class_list":["post-52597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celtics","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-celtics-featured","tag-nba-schedule"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}