When the Celtics' 2024-25 schedule first came out, there were plenty of Boston fans who circled the Warriors home matchup on the calendar. It‘s a 2022 NBA Finals rematch, after all, so there’s some juice for that subplot.
But most of that anticipation is also for Warriors coach Steve Kerr being in town. C‘s fans aren’t going to forget Kerr benching Jayson Tatum for multiple games during the Paris Olympics. Tatum has spoken about some of the frustrations, though he‘s seemingly moved on. Fans are likely going to let Kerr hear it, though.
“We playing against Steph Curry, somebody that I‘m close with,” Tatum said after the Hawks win, via NBC Sports Boston. “And obviously, I‘m close with Draymond Green. I know this is a Finals matchup from a few years ago. From that standpoint, getting to play against those guys, we‘ve had a lot of battles over the last couple years. So, sure, it’ll be fun.”
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There is another important subplot to what should be a highly-anticipated matchup at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden. The Warriors roll into the game with a 6-1 record as they‘ve won four straight games. That’s in comparison to the Celtics, who bring in a 7-1 record as reigning champions. Curry also missed three games due to an injury, but the Warriors still won all of those contests anyway.
So here are the Celtics, fresh off their first championship with this current core. Then they‘re going up against the old Warriors dynasty, though Golden State no longer has Klay Thompson. And while it’s still early in the season, the newer-look Warriors have impressed through their first seven games. Golden State went 46-36 in a competitive West last season to finish 10th in the standings but failed to get out of the play-in tournament.
Last time the Celtics saw the Warriors last season, they dominated them in Boston to the tune of a 140-88 score. That‘s after the Warriors downed the Celtics in San Francisco, where Curry‘s late 3-pointer gave them the win. In the blowout C’s win, the Warriors employed a strange strategy where they left Jaylen Brown wide open on multiple 3-pointers. After Brown had 19 points in the first quarter, they stopped, but the damage was done as the Celtics held a 44-22 lead after the opening frame.
Despite only playing twice a year, there‘s naturally going to be some history between the Celtics and Warriors after that 2022 Finals battle that lasted six games. Whenever these teams face off, something usually ends up becoming a headline. The Celtics also get to look the Warriors in the eyes as reigning champs for the first time as this current core got to hang its own banner.
The Warriors are still the old guard, and they look they still have some juice. Curry is 36 and it remains to be seen how much production he still has left in his career. Green is 34 and has become a villain in Boston sports lore, so he‘ll also likely hear it from the Celtics crowd. Add in the Kerr angle and there should be plenty of anticipation going into Wednesday’s game.
