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The Celtics have their Christmas Day opponent for next season

Joey Aliberti August 15th, 2022

The Boston Celtics have a battle with arguably its toughest Eastern Conference opponent from the 2022 NBA playoffs in the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

This marks the second straight season that the two teams play each other on Dec. 25. Last year’s was in Milwaukee and this year’s being in Boston.

Boston was not a good team at the time of this game in 2021, falling to 16-17 on the season after the 117-113 loss. The Bucks on the other hand were rolling. They became 22-13 after that win and had both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton healthy.

Middleton’s injury will forever be brought up as a “what if” in the 2022 eastern conference semifinals, when the Celtics won in seven games with the Bucks wing unavailable. In games Middleton played against Boston last season, Milwaukee was 2-1.

Shams listed the Celtics-Bucks matchup first in his tweet releasing the Christmas day schedule, likely meaning the two teams will start off the slate of games around noon.

The Nets' first offer to the Celtics for Kevin Durant was just so incredibly outrageous

  • Mar 6, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) react during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

    Mar 6, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) react during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

    Amazingly, the Kevin Durant-Celtics trade rumors just refuse to die. That lady from Austin Powers 2 had a better chance of dying.

    But here we are. It’s Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2022, and there are still rumblings that Durant coming to Boston is a possibility. One of the newest reports comes from Ian Begley at SNY.tv, who led right out with this:

    Durant sees Boston as a desired landing spot, per people familiar with the matter. Durant also would like to play with Boston’s Marcus Smart if he is traded to the Celtics, per people familiar with the matter.

  • Felger & Mazz | Kevin Durant Rumors and More

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  • The Marcus Smart thing actually seems to make sense. Say what you want about Smart, but he and Durant would complement each other pretty well on the court.

    But the truly outrageous part of the latest reporting on Durant and the Celtics comes from Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. He wrote Wednesday that the Nets “initially tried to pry both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown” from the Celtics in a Durant trade. That, of course, is too insane to even explain.

    There has to be a point for GMs – and Brad Stevens seems to be a pretty good one, so far – where they are beyond a lack of interest, and are simply insulted. Brad Stevens should’ve been insulted by that offer.

  • Himmelsbach went on to report that “Brooklyn later shifted its focus to a deal centered on Brown, Marcus Smart, and a massive haul of future first-round draft picks,” but the Celtics weren’t interested in that, either.

    Based on the totality of the reporting, the talks feel more like they’re at an impasse than progressing in a meaningful direction. But Himmelsbach explained that Boston remains in the running for Durant because of their ability to part with the kind of assets that Brooklyn is seeking for the two-time NBA champion and former MVP.

    That’s all despite the notion that, personality-wise, Durant does not seem like a fit for Boston. To put it kindly, the media here are aggressive. We get headstrong. Talking loud, saying stupid things. Seems like a breeding ground for Durant to constantly get in tweet beefs with local personalities and argue at his press conferences. It would be entertaining for us on some level. But it might not be ideal for a guy who just wants to play basketball and forget the pointless BS.

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 20: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets disputes a call during the second quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 20, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

    BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets disputes a call during the second quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 20, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

  • But hey, seems like it could still happen. If Durant does don the Celtics green, and brings banner 18 to the city, he’d be beloved by a lot of people. He’d be embraced. Much of the city would put the media nonsense to the side. He and Tatum would have potential for a dominant burst of championship runs.

    Make no mistake, though, it would certainly be Durant and Tatum together. The Celtics are no longer trading Tatum for anyone. Someone tell the Nets. Actually, Brad Stevens probably did too, before laughing his ass off.

  • Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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