NBA Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics, 5:00 PM EST

Merry Christmas. And what an incredible gift do we have waiting for us...under the tree? The Brooklyn Nets take on the Boston Celtics in a prime Christmas Day matchup. Let’s go.

The Nets opened the season by burning the Golden State Warriors on national TV, while the Celtics followed on Wednesday night by taking down the Milwaukee Bucks on TNT.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert are looking like they’re in mid-season form, while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are likely locks for being selected as All Stars this season.

This is going to be a good one.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (1-0) at Boston Celtics (1-0)

WHERE: ABC (tv), WFAN (radio)

WHEN: 5:00 PM EST

Game Thread:

All eyes will be on Tatum’s former running mate, Kyrie Irving. Honestly, his two seasons in Boston were pretty good. However, it ended DISASTROUSLY against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 playoffs and when you combine that with everything that went on with the Celtics that season, it made Irving’s eventual exit all the more acrimonious. The Celtics players still have plenty of love for Irving, However the same can’t be said for Celtics fans. With COVID keeping spectators away for the foreseeable future, it’ll probably be a long time before C’s fans get to cuss at Kyrie in an arena. In the meantime, there are always his Instagram comments I suppose.

Focusing back on Irving’s current team, we see that he’s taking on that leadership role and will be counted on to help guide the roster into championship contention. He’s one of the most engaging, entertaining ballhandlers we’ve ever seen in basketball, and his creativity makes him a matchup nightmare for just about every guard in the sport.

For more on the Celtics, check out CelticsBlog.