Celtics Open Season At Home, Play Knicks On Christmas Day
BOSTON (CBS) - IF there is a 2011-12 NBA season, the Boston Celtics will get things started at home on Wednesday November 2.
That is a big IF.
The Celtics will host the Cleveland Cavaliers when they tip-off their season, a big difference from last year when they opened the NBA season against the Miami Heat at the Garden.
Speaking of the Heat, the Celtics will meet up with the defending Eastern Conference Champs three times this season beginning with a tilt in Miami on November 16. The next two games will be in Boston with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh coming to town Thursday December 1 and Sunday April 1 at 3:30pm. Both games will be televised on national TV.
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The Celtics-Lakers rivalry will add two new chapters, with the C's hosting Los Angeles on Thursday February 9 and heading out west for a matchup on Sunday March 11.
Another opponent to watch out for, if there is basketball, is the New York Knicks. The Atlantic Division foe boasts their own Big-3 with Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The C's and Knicks will battle four times, including a Christmas Day matinée in New York starting at noon.
View The Entire 2011-12 Celtics Schedule
The 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks come to Boston Wednesday January 11. Kendrick Perkins returns to town with the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday January 16.
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The Celtics have a very tough stretch in March when they head out West for a five-games-in-seven-nights road trip. The C's start with back-to-back against the Lakers and Phoenix Suns, a meeting with the Golden State Warriors two nights later, and finish with another back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.
The NBA is currently in a lockout.
