No Celtics on Christmas? In Hindsight, the NBA’s Slate Still Delivered
For the first time since 2015, the Boston Celtics were absent from the NBA’s Christmas Day lineup - and for fans in green, that felt like a pretty big shift in tradition. Boston has long been a staple of the league’s holiday showcase, a franchise woven into the fabric of Christmas basketball. But this year, the NBA went in a different direction.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Celtics were a team in flux. Jayson Tatum was sidelined with a torn Achilles, and the roster had undergone a significant overhaul during the offseason.
With so much uncertainty, the league’s schedule-makers opted to leave Boston off the five-game Christmas slate. At the time, it made sense.
Without their franchise cornerstone and with so many moving parts, there was no guarantee the Celtics would be competitive - let alone entertaining enough for a marquee national broadcast.
Fast forward to today, and that decision looks a lot more complicated.
Boston currently sits third in the Eastern Conference with an 18-11 record, riding a wave of strong play led by Jaylen Brown, who’s putting together a campaign worthy of MVP chatter. The Celtics have been one of the league’s most compelling stories through the first third of the season - a team many expected to tread water without Tatum, instead thriving and finding a new identity.
So, yeah, you could make the case that the NBA might’ve missed an opportunity by not including Boston in the holiday lineup. Imagine them squaring off against the Knicks in that early window game instead of the Cavaliers.
That matchup - Brown vs. Brunson, two of the East’s top guards going head-to-head at Madison Square Garden - would’ve been must-see TV.
But here’s the thing: that Knicks-Cavs game turned out to be a thriller.
New York edged Cleveland in a 126-124 barnburner that saw Tyler Kolek turn in one of his best performances as a pro. The rookie guard, a Rhode Island native, made the most of his moment on the big stage, giving the hometown crowd - and fans back in New England - plenty to cheer about. Kolek’s emergence has been one of the more under-the-radar storylines this season, and his Christmas Day performance gave it a national spotlight.
In that context, it’s hard to argue the league got it wrong. The game delivered drama, star power, and a breakout performance from a young guard with local ties. Sometimes, the best matchups are the ones you don’t see coming.
When you look at the rest of the slate, it becomes even clearer why Boston was left off.
The Lakers, for example, were locked into a primetime matchup with the Rockets. LeBron James vs.
Kevin Durant is a no-brainer for Christmas - two of the game’s biggest names squaring off in what could be a Western Conference Finals preview. That game was never going to be replaced.
As for the 76ers, they were in a similar spot to Boston entering the season. Joel Embiid was coming off a lost year due to injury, and the team had just wrapped up a 24-58 campaign.
Even with Tyrese Maxey poised for a breakout, there was no guarantee Philly would be competitive. Like the Celtics, they’ve exceeded expectations - but back in the summer, there wasn’t much reason to pencil them in for Christmas.
In hindsight, a Celtics-Sixers matchup would’ve been a fun one. Brown vs.
Maxey, two explosive scorers leading their teams through adversity, could’ve made for a compelling storyline. But even that hypothetical doesn’t necessarily bump any of the current games off the slate.
The league had a strong lineup this year, and every window delivered.
Could the Celtics have faced a non-traditional opponent like the Magic or the Heat? Sure.
But neither Orlando nor Miami currently has the kind of star power that typically anchors a Christmas Day game. Those matchups might work on a random Tuesday night, but they don’t carry the same weight when the whole country is watching.
So where does that leave us?
Boston’s absence from the Christmas Day schedule was understandable, even if it stings a bit in retrospect. The team’s resurgence has been one of the season’s best surprises, and Jaylen Brown is reminding everyone just how dynamic he can be when the spotlight shifts his way. Still, the NBA’s holiday showcase delivered across the board - from Kolek’s emergence to the heavyweight showdowns out West.
There’s a strong case to be made that the Celtics should be a Christmas Day fixture, much like the NFL’s tradition with the Cowboys and Lions on Thanksgiving. A franchise with Boston’s legacy, fan base, and market appeal brings value even in down years. But this season, the league made a calculated call - and given the uncertainty surrounding Tatum and the roster, it’s hard to fault them for it.
The good news for Celtics fans? If the team keeps trending upward and Brown continues to play like an MVP candidate, Boston will almost certainly be back in the Christmas spotlight next year.
Until then, enjoy the ride. This version of the Celtics is proving it doesn’t need a holiday showcase to make headlines.