No Sixers-Celtics Marquee Matchups Is A Missed Opportunity

The NBA unveiled the full regular season schedule for the 2026-27 season. It’s got most of what the broader fanbase expected, especially after a thrilling offseason. Yet, there’s one glaring hole: No games between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics on a meaningful date.

Both long-time rivals will face each other twice during the preseason and five times in the upcoming campaign. While some of those will be on national television, they won’t be on some of the NBA’s “premiere” days, like Christmas Day.

Perhaps the biggest move of the offseason, other than LeBron James‘ decision to join Philly, was the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown to the Sixers.

A blown 3-1 lead Boston had versus Philly in the last playoffs, a long analytics debate with Brown at its center, and ugly trade rumors preceded the move that put Brown on the team that beat him. George, one of the key components to Philadelphia’s comeback, now finds himself in new territory.

With everything that went down, the league missed out on arguably the most anticipated matchup of the year.

The 76ers Now Have Quite A Motivated Jaylen Brown

In 2025-26, Boston was entering what many assumed would be a “gap year.”

Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It effectively ruled him out for much of the next season. Without one half of Beantown’s star duo and the core that won them a title two seasons earlier, expectations were bleak.

The Celtics’ preseason over/under win total was 41.5 wins, per Basketball-Reference.

Instead of being around that, Brown guided Boston to 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the East. He played what many considered the best basketball of his career and finished sixth in MVP voting. 

The Celtics unsurprisingly led their first-round series against the 76ers, three to one. But unlike the regular season, they suddenly crumbled under pressure. The Sixers stormed back to win three straight games, beating the C’s in seven for the first time since 1982. 

From that point on, the conversation around Boston felt like a gossip room. Is the front office prioritizing Tatum over Brown? Are Brown’s advanced stats that bad? Is he worth the large contract he’s currently on?

Brown appeared to be officially on the trade market. After a failed transaction with Milwaukee, he ended up in the City of Brotherly Love, the team he and Boston just lost to stunningly during the postseason.

On top of all that, Boston gave him up for a disrespectfully underwhelming return: 36-year-old Paul George, two first-round picks, and two seconds.

The bad blood between Brown and Boston is officially at its boiling point. Brown went on a livestream a day after the trade, accusing the organization of disrespecting him. He said at a press conference that he and Tatum haven’t spoken much since the trade.

Boston Celtics Remain Elite Despite No Jaylen Brown

Even with sending away Jaylen Brown, Boston still projects to be one of the better teams in the league.

With a fully healthy Tatum, George, Mitchell Robinson coming in, and much of the same supporting cast from last year, the Celtics lineup is a fighter in the East.

Last season, George averaged 21 points and two steals per contest after returning from suspension. The New York Knicks don’t win the Finals without Robinson. And most of all, Jayson Tatum has made All-NBA teams for years and, barring any Achilles-related setbacks, could make his sixth next season.

Don’t forget about the 2025-26 Coach of the Year, Joe Mazzulla, who led Boston to the league’s fourth-rated offense and seventh-rated defense. Mazzulla and the Celtics have proved repeatedly that they can’t be doubted.

These are all new circumstances, but it’s not in Boston’s blood to fail, even against a loaded Philly team.

So all of the pieces of the puzzle for a primetime showdown are there. An all-time player, disrespected by his own franchise. Organizations with years of history, both contenders next year. And a questionable relationship between two teammates turned enemies.

Yet no opening night, Christmas Day, or even Rivals Week matchup. What could have been.