The full 2026-27 NBA regular-season schedule has arrived. Leading up to this, the early reveals included the Celtics facing Giannis and the Heat in a rivalry clash on Christmas.
Boston is also part of a surprising twist that could become a new tradition. Typically, the new campaign would kick off with the reigning champions hosting the first tilt. However, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, when the Knicks raise the banner celebrating the end of their 53-year title drought to the rafters at Madison Square Garden, this season will have already tipped off.
That honor was bestowed upon the Celtics and Pistons, who will square off at 3 PM ET in Detroit.
The NBA Cup schedule, which reinforced that Boston is the favorite in Group C in the East, was also already known. But now, we finally have the answer to when Jaylen Brown returns to TD Garden for the first time in the regular season.
Plus, five other must-know dates on the Celtics calendar.
Jaylen Brown's first game back at TD Garden
Technically, this could come in the form of a preseason cameo. Boston plays host to the Philadelphia 76ers in an exhibition contest on Oct. 10. The jettisoned half of a duo responsible for one of the most successful eras in franchise history could at least be in the building that night.
That could even help settle him for when he returns for the first time in the regular season. Brown and LeBron James [who were more likely to join forces than it initially seemed] will take to the parquet for the first time as teammates on X.
While the idea of Brown facing the Celtics for the first time as a visitor in the place he called home for a decade made for a great Christmas storyline, James has his own return to make, heading back to Los Angeles to face the Lakers that day.
Like James' trip to Tinseltown, Brown's return to Boston is a must-see moment for fans throughout the NBA. It's a chance to see him play against Jayson Tatum -- outside of an All-Star Game setting -- and a measuring-stick matchup between two of the teams projected to be at the top of the standings in the East. It's appointment viewing.
Celtics-Lakers, the renewal of the NBA's most iconic rivalry
Yes, Boston and Philadelphia, two conference foes from the Northeast, have more history between them. However, from Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain to Larry Bird going toe-to-toe with Magic Johnson, and the modern Big 3, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, battling Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in the NBA Finals, this is the league's preeminent rivalry.
Any time the Celtics and Lakers get together, no matter their records, it's important. It's one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
In the 2026-27 campaign, the first time they will see each other is on Jan. 7 in LA. Then, Luka Doncic and Co. will visit TD Garden on Feb 2.
The Celtics' Christmas clash against the Heat
Just because it's already a known matchup doesn't mean it shouldn't be on this list. It unquestionably belongs here.
Christmas is the marquee date on the NBA's regular-season calendar. And the feud between these two franchises is a rich storyline.
Throughout Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's time together, Miami was a chief antagonist and a constant thorn in their side. From 2020 to 2023, the Celtics and Heat went blow for blow in three of the four Eastern Conference Finals.
After several slugfests between them, it was fitting that Miami was the team Boston was bidding against for Giannis Antetokounmpo in a sweepstakes that proved the initial signal that the Tatum and Brown era was coming to an end.
AJ Dybantsa and Cooper Flagg's homecoming games at TD Garden
Yes, Flagg is from Newport, Maine, not Massachusetts, but it's understood that when he plays in Boston, it represents a homecoming for the New England native.
Having two individuals from this region become the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in consecutive years is a tremendous source of pride for the area.
Flagg experienced that when the Dallas Mavericks played at TD Garden last season. The stands were filled with friends, family, and a community that loudly welcomed him home that night.
Loud “Coop” chants as Cooper Flagg takes the floor for his first NBA game at TD Garden. https://t.co/2pF04BQsk4 pic.twitter.com/POsszg615y
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) March 6, 2026
His second NBA game on the parquet is on Nov. 15.
AJ Dybantsa got the chance to play on there last year as part of the Hall of Fame Series. While the UConn Huskies faithful were vocal, making their presence felt, from friends and family to BYU fans who travelled from all over the country, there was also a considerable contingent there to cheer on the Brockton, Massachusetts native.
Now, Dybantsa, whose offseason included throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park, is scheduled to return for his first NBA game at TD Garden when his Washington Wizards -- who are coached by fellow Massachusetts native, Brian Keefe -- travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Dec. 14 and 16.
Facing the champs: When the Celtics take on the Knicks
Before LeBron James took his talents to the City of Brotherly Love, it's conceivable that the C's were the leading candidate to be there for New York's season opener.
After all, the Knicks were at TD Garden when the Celtics raised Banner 18 to the rafters. Returning the favor at MSG was a compelling opening-night option. Now, it will be James, Jaylen Brown, and the Sixers on hand to watch a third NBA championship banner take its place above the hardwood at the World's Most Famous Arena.
Three days later, on Oct. 23, the Knicks will be in Boston. It's a chance for an early test against a title team that remains mostly intact. That is, with the notable exception of Mitchell Robinson, who's now a member of the Celtics.
Staying in the division means several more contests against his former team await, but he'll get that first tilt against them out of the way early. It might also help that the initial plan is to start Neemias Queta, giving Robinson time to center himself before going against the group he just won a championship with for the first time.
The Celtics will be in New York on Mar. 14. They will also host the Knicks on Jan. 13 and face them at Madison Square Garden on Apr. 4.
Testing the West's best: When the Celtics play the Spurs & Thunder
This is the honorable mention section. It belongs to the heavy favorites to remain atop the Western Conference hierarchy.
Last postseason, Victor Wembanyama let the basketball world know he has arrived. Now, it's a question of what his next step will look like. An MVP Award for him and a Larry O'Brien Trophy for a San Antonio team that came painfully close to becoming champions last season are both in play.
That makes the Spurs and their seven-foot-four center, who has the ambition and the ability to become the best player on the planet, a box-office attraction.
They'll be in Boston on Nov. 29 and welcome the C's to the Alamo City on Mar. 24.
As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a regular-season split, including a win at TD Garden shortly after Jayson Tatum's return from his Achilles tear, that ignited belief about what the Celtics could accomplish in the playoffs.
Now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a two-time MVP winner, and the Thunder are striving to reach the NBA summit again after San Antonio stood in the way of a repeat.
That makes their chances to prove themselves against the top teams in the East, like when they're in Boston on Mar. 12 or host the Celtics on Feb. 17, two more dates C's fans need to circle on their regular-season schedule.
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