Yes, the Celtics have a game on opening night, another on Friday night in primetime in opening week, and an afternoon tilt on Christmas, but overall, it’s hard to say the league showed them much respect with the 2026-27 schedule. Boston has 27 nationally televised games this season, which is just tied for the eighth-most in the NBA; not exactly the mark of an iconic franchise or top-tier contender.
They also didn’t get a featured game during Rivalry Week, nor on Martin Luther King Day or Presidents’ Day. The 27 games on national TV may seem like a lot, but it’s fewer than teams like the Warriors and Nuggets, less glamorous franchises that aren’t considered title contenders.
Every NBA team's national TV / streaming games in 2026-27 ⬇️
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) August 13, 2026
LeBron and Wemby get bumped up to the max 34 games, joining the Knicks and Lakers pic.twitter.com/yLHU08k1t1
For context, the 27 number is only a two-game bump from last season when the Celtics had 25. And when that schedule was created, the Cs had just lost Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis; Jayson Tatum had a torn Achilles, and many expected Boston to take a ‘gap year’ and possibly even tank for a lottery pick.
Obviously that’s not what happened, but it’s still a jarring difference in expectations going into the season. This time around, Tatum is fully healthy, the Celtics are coming off a 56-win season, and they have the second-highest wins over/under in the Eastern Conference, just one game lower than the defending champion Knicks, who drew 34 National TV games and are featured in just about every major showcase for the league.
NBA not buying the intrigue around the Celtics
So what gives? Why isn’t the NBA buying into the Celtics? It can’t be the fact that they don’t have the best title odds, because teams like the Lakers and Warriors got more of a spotlight. It can’t be a lack of star power because Tatum is back and has the eighth-best odds to win the MVP Award this season. It can’t be the market or overall spectacle that comes along with the winningest team in league history either.
At the end of the day, it seems like the league just doesn’t believe in the Celtics and how much intrigue they offer as a team and as a franchise. They’re not impressed with the Jaylen Brown rivalry, a Tatum revenge season, or any of the other storylines and narratives that surround the team this year.
Ultimately, it makes little difference, and if anything, maybe it gives them a small chip on their shoulder or a chance to fly slightly under the radar. But either way, the NBA has made it clear that the Celtics are not on the marquee going into this season. Just like last season. And yet again, they’ll just have to prove everyone wrong.
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