National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics: Three Must-See Home Games In 2016-17

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Here are three home games that everyone should go to in 2016-17

Heading into the 2016-17 campaign, fans who typically attend Boston Celtics home games are familiar with just how raucous the TD Garden crowd can become. Now that the team has created a frenzy with the acquisition of four-time All-Star center Al Horford in free agency and the bolstering of an already deep squad through the draft, the scene on Causeway Street should return to an electricity level not witnessed since the era of the Big Three.

While contests against the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers and the star-studded Golden State Warriors will draw the highest ticket prices, there are three other teams who you must make a point of checking out when the make the journey to Beantown. Here are three games that you should circle on your calendar and plan your trip to TD Garden around, ranked in order of importance.

Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

No. 3 – Wednesday, March 15 vs. Minnesota

There are few teams in the NBA that contain as much potential as the young Timberwolves. Just by scanning Minnesota’s roster, you would think that you were compiling a recent college basketball All-Star team. While they may have scuffled last season, finishing last in the Northwest division with a putrid 29-53 record, the Timberwolves are under new leadership heading into 2016-17.

Following the direction of well-respected head coach Tom Thibodeau, a former defensive guru underneath championship-winning Celtics head man Doc Rivers, Minnesota finally has a conductor capable of instituting a defensive culture and commanding a level of discipline among the team’s young stars.

The Timberwolves boast the past two Rookie of the Year award winners in Andrew Wiggins (20.7 points, 3.6 rebounds per game last season) and Karl-Anthony Towns (18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds per game, 22.59 PER in 2015-16), while featuring this season’s favorite to garner the award in former Providence point guard Kris Dunn.

Witnessing Dunn perform against the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown will be an intriguing component in this matchup, as many pundits prognosticated Boston to select the floor general with the third overall pick in this June’s draft. Instead, general manager Danny Ainge opted to choose the athletic potential of Brown over the scoring and penetrating ability of Dunn, making the Timberwolves first trip to Boston with the rookie a must-watch.

Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 – Saturday, January 21 vs. Portland

There is no better fashion to spend a frigid mid-January afternoon than in the balcony of the TD Garden, and the opponent coming to visit in this matchup makes this a critical affair to witness. The Trail Blazers boast one of the most formidable guard tandems in the NBA in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who inked a four-year deal with Portland this offseason.

Lillard earned himself the moniker of being one of the most cringeworthy All-Star Game snubs in recent memory last season, improving his game to MVP-level status while posting 25.1 points and 6.8 assists per game to accompany a 22.25 PER. He set the NBA world ablaze with a scintillating 40-point, 10-assist performance in a Game 3 victory over the Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals last May, and will be seeking to elevate his reputation to someone considered within the top tier of point guards this season.

Despite his impressive collective performance over the course of last year’s campaign, the Celtics did a fantastic job of containing him. In two meetings, Lillard averaged just 17.0 points per contest while shooting just 33 percent from the field and turning the ball over on six occasions. Boston’s suffocating defensive backcourt duo of Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart were brilliant in limiting Lillard and McCollum, who averaged 17.0 points per outing, as well, below his typical per game average of 20.8.

It will be intriguing to witness whether the two can improve against the Celtics, as well as how Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas performs against Lillard in a matchup of two floor leaders considered to be in the upper echelon of their class. In the Trail Blazers visit to Boston last March, Thomas erupted in a blowout victory, scorching Portland for 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field.

Also, this contest will mark the return of former fan favorite Evan Turner, agreed to a four-year, $70 million deal with Portland. Turner thrived in front of the TD Garden crowd in two seasons with the Celtics, and it will be interesting to watch how the crowd welcomes him back to Boston.

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 – Friday December 23 vs. Oklahoma City

Make no mistake about it, if you are planning on spending the holidays in Boston, making the venture to the TD Garden on the eve of Christmas Eve is imperative. While the Thunder may have lost 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant to Golden State, they might just be featuring the front-runner to win the award in the upcoming year in Russell Westbrook.

His name surfaced many times in trade talks with the Celtics this offseason, but the free agent to-be affirmed his commitment to Oklahoma City by inking a three-year, $85 million extension with the Thunder in early August.

Now, motivated by the chip on his shoulder from Durant’s abrupt departure from the city that nurtured his NBA stardom, Westbrook is looking to assume the sole leadership role on the team and improve on the astounding stat line of 23.5 points, 10.4 assists, and 7.8 rebounds that he recorded per game in 2015-16.

Westbrook’s return to the city in which he garnered 24 points in just 26 minutes of action last March will also serve as one of the toughest tests that Thomas will face this season. Considered by many to be the most feared point guard in the NBA, Westbrook will be a handful for Thomas on both ends of the floor. Performing at a high level against the owner of a 27.64 PER will go a tremendous way in confirming Thomas’ status as an elite floor general.