The Boston Celtics have nothing left to prove. They won an NBA Championship, securing Banner 18 for the franchise. But they aren’t satisfied, and they never will be.
Heading into next year, they’ll be attempting to win Banner 19, but along the way, Boston will get the chance to play a few revenge games. Whether it be returning to former teams or playing other coaches, the Celtics have some very fun contests on their slate.
Here are the five revenge games on the Celtics schedule that every Bostonian should be super excited to watch.
1. Marcus Smart vs. Celtics on December 7
Let’s start off with a non-traditional revenge game. This won’t be a revenge game for anyone on the Celtics roster. Instead, this will be the first chance Marcus Smart gets to play against his former team.
When Smart came back to town last year, he was injured, so he didn’t actually get to play against Boston. This time around, if he’s healthy, Smart will share the floor with his former teammates as an opponent for the first time ever.
Smart is one of the most beloved Celtics in recent memory. The former Defensive Player of the Year was the heart and soul of the organization for nine years.
But after all that, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis back to Boston, helping the Celtics win their first NBA Championship since 2008.
While Smart seems to be in a good place in terms of his relationship with the Celtics, he’ll love the chance to get revenge on his former team.
2. Jayson Tatum vs. Steve Kerr on November 6
The talk of the summer was Jayson Tatum getting benched by Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. He sat out in two of their six games, and in the other four, he barely played. And Steve Kerr was the head coach.
Once the NBA season starts up again, Kerr will be back to donning the blue and gold of the Golden State Warriors, while Tatum will be back in green. But Tatum has a good memory.
November 6 will be the first chance Tatum has to go up against Kerr again. He may not have taken the benchings super personally, but it will still be a chance for revenge. And the TD Garden crowd will definitely take note.
3. Celtics @ Hornets (and Charles Lee) on November 1
Charles Lee ended his tenure with the Celtics on the best note possible—an NBA Championship. He was instrumental in helping Boston win Banner 18, and there is nothing but respect between the two sides.
But respect doesn’t nullify competitiveness. Lee, Joe Mazzulla, and player development coach Jermaine Bucknor are all extremely competitive, and facing off against one another will bring out the best in each of them.
Add in guys like Grant Williams, Kemba Walker, and everyone on the Celtics who was teammates with those two guys, and the revenge that comes from wanting to beat your former team will be enough to make this matchup very fun.
4. Celtics @ Nuggets on January 7
This has the potential to be the best game of the Celtics’ 2024-25 season. Despite winning a championship last season, the Denver Nuggets are the only team that the Celtics failed to beat.
Boston played Denver twice in the regular season, and while both of them were extremely close, the Celtics lost each of them. Nikola Jokic proved to be too much for them to handle.
Championship or no championship, Mazzulla and every player on Boston’s roster should be circling this game on their schedule. Getting revenge on the Nuggets for beating them twice would be sweet.
5. Celtics @ Hawks on November 4
There aren’t many teams or players the Celtics need to get revenge against. They waltzed through the playoffs and won a championship in just 19 games.
But in the regular season, there were very few teams that the Celtics lost to twice. One of them was the Atlanta Hawks. They dropped two games to the Hawks late in the season, in large part due to a Dejounte Murray masterclass.
Mazzulla was so angry after losing to the Hawks that he tore his meniscus while doing jiu-jitsu. Even if no one else on the team cares about this game, Mazzulla will. And that’s enough. He’ll want to win this one badly.