Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers set to renew rivalry in marquee matchups

It’s the time of year again where the schedule for the upcoming NBA season begins to filter out. Early reports suggest we can get used to seeing the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers compete on the big stage.

In the midst of the quietest period of the NBA calendar, the release of the next season’s schedule becomes hotly anticipated in the basketball world. Fanbases across the league ponder how their teams season will begin, and whether their Christmas dinner plans will be altered.

In line with recent seasons, the Boston Celtics fans will need to set the Christmas table around the TV, but that’s not the only marquee matchup they’ll draw.

Building on the momentum of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the league appears likely to cash in on the renewal of a famed NBA rivalry. The Celtics dispatched the Philadelphia 76ers in a relatively comfortable five-game second round series on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, with “The Process” unable to handle the Celtics’ dominance at TD Garden.

The Celtics have drawn the third matchup on the 25th of December, facing the Sixers in Boston at 5:30 p.m. ET. The full Christmas slate is outlined here, via CBS Sports.

The contest will mark the Celtics’ third Christmas appearance in a row, and the second straight year that the TD Garden will host Santa on the parquet floor. Boston fell to the Washington Wizards last year after handling the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in 2016.

The regular season opening night lineup was revealed not long after, and Boston will open up action once again, hoping for a far better night than the same occasion 12 months earlier.

Having just acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the offseason, the Celtics’ 2017-18 season was thrown on its head within the first six minutes, as Hayward went down with a gruesome lower leg injury. Devastatingly, his season was finished and the Celtics fell to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Per Sam Amick’s tweet below, the Celtics and Sixers have again been thrown together, set to tip off the 2018-19 season on Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET, also in Boston.

Both Boston and Philly are widely tipped to contend at the pointy end of the season and neither squad will have to wait long to stamp its authority on the other. For the Sixers, the motivation will be high after having their surging momentum halted in the playoffs, meekly bowing out without ever really sinking their teeth into the series.

On the other side of the fence, Boston will be hoping to come into the season with a healthy squad for the first time since opening night last season. With Hayward and Irving missing the entirety of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the injection of two perennial All-Stars has elevated expectations to championship levels.

There is certainly no love lost between these two storied rivals and pitting them against each other on the NBA’s biggest nights is a smart marketing move from the league. For now, Boston holds the advantage and it’s up to Philadelphia to come into the TD Garden and swing the momentum.

Opening night is 69 days away. Bring it on.