For the second season in a row, the Boston Celtics will begin their season in primetime.
But it won’t be a repeat of last year’s Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers matchup, but rather an Oct. 16 showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Per Washburn, the game will serve as the lead-in to a late-night tilt between the Oklahoma City Thunder and back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors.
The reported decision to go with Celtics-Sixers as the true tipoff game comes after the Celtics eliminated the Sixers in five games in the second round last postseason, and with both teams primed to be among the Eastern Conference’s best next year.
The Celtics and Sixers are also in the midst of an undeniable rebirth of their rivalry, with all of the team’s head-to-heads a year ago — both in the regular season and playoffs — featuring some post-whistle skirmishes between the two teams.
Brad Stevens and the C’s won three of their four regular-season meetings with the Sixers a year ago.