The Boston Celtics are scheduled to open up their 2024-25 run at TD Backyard on Oct. 22, however first, the reigning champs should go head-to-head with the Denver Nuggets twice to start their five-game preseason in Abu Dhabi.
It’s going to be fairly the problem for the defending champs to tackle the one staff that swept the Celtics throughout their regular-season collection, and the staff considered as Boston’s greatest risk throughout the Western Convention final season.
Denver is simply two years faraway from its NBA title victory and have not endured any main roster modifications hindering its possibilities from one other run this go-around. The Nuggets, as a matter of truth, do not intend on treating the Abu Dhabi exhibitions as something lower than an opportunity to start what they will deal with the upcoming season as: redemption.
MORE CELTICS
Jaylen Brown Reveals Weird However Intelligent Philosophy Of Title-Defending Celtics
3 Min Learn
Joe Mazzulla’s ‘Mindset’ Behind Deliberately Onerous Celtics Coaching Camp
4 Min Learn
“You may have 29 groups which can be coming for you each evening,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone advised reporters in Abu Dhabi, per The Nationwide Information. “After which I feel the most important factor I discovered (from profitable a title) is that the bodily, emotional, religious toll it takes on you whenever you win a championship and having to regroup and do this once more, it may be exhausting. However I let you know, we have had an awesome coaching camp to date and I feel our guys are excited to attempt to get again and take what Boston has, in addition to each different staff within the league however they did an awesome job final 12 months. Give the Celtics credit score, they seem to be a hell of a staff and we stay up for competing towards them right here.”
Story continues beneath commercial
Malone and the Nuggets know simply how troublesome chasing a repeat is. Denver completed tied with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder for the second-best file within the NBA final season — proper behind 64-18 Boston — earlier than falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the convention semifinals spherical. The Nuggets had excessive hopes, expectations and much more hype than the Celtics, and like Boston, none of it has gone anyplace. So whereas it’s going to be the Celtics who open up their clear slate in banner-raising trend, over their shoulders sit the Nuggets and 28 others salivating on the probability to dethrone Boston.
“There’s numerous good groups within the NBA this 12 months,” Nuggets ahead Michael Porter Jr. stated, per The Nationwide Information. “The vitality and the starvation has been there. We’ve numerous motivation coming off of final 12 months and guys like Russell (Westbrook), guys like Dario (Šarić) simply add to that. … We’re all very motivated to win a championship this 12 months and we’re able to get it going.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla already set the file straight on the “goal” positioned on Boston’s again, welcoming the problem. Mazzulla’s out-of-the-box teaching model comes from an open-minded, student-first lens. The Celtics did not — and do not plan to — again all the way down to any problem that presents itself, setting in stone a perspective that final season is not this season, so no matter what Denver has in retailer, count on Boston to be prepared. Just like the Nuggets, the defending champs are excited, too.
“I feel it is superior the final two champions get to play and globalize the sport right here in Abu Dhabi, which is an incredible place,” Brown advised reporters, per NBC Sports activities Boston. “I feel it is very becoming, and I feel the NBA did a very good job of setting it up.”
Story continues beneath commercial
Granted, all indicators level towards Boston taking an an identical strategy. The Celtics attacked the NBA Cup — previously referred to as the In-Season Match — final 12 months, even when it slated them to face the subpar Chicago Bulls in November. Boston did not skip any steps final season, play all the way down to its competitors or bear any notable chilly stretches and it paid off. Due to this fact, although preseason is up subsequent, the overly-psychotic mindset that’s Mazzulla on the helm, seemingly will not deal with Abu Dhabi like a trip both.
Boston and Denver sq. off on Friday at 12 p.m. ET and once more Sunday at 10 a.m.
