The expected Celtics vs. Warriors matchup has another important subplot

When the Celtics' 2024-25 schedule first came out, there were many Boston fans who marked the Warriors' home game on the calendar. After all, this is a rematch in the 2022 NBA Finals, so there's still some juice for this subplot.

But the biggest anticipation is the presence of Warriors coach Steve Kerr in town. C's fans won't forget that Kerr benched Jayson Tatum for several games during the Paris Olympics. Tatum has spoken about some of the frustrations, although he has seemingly moved on. However, fans will probably let Kerr hear it.

“We're playing Steph Curry, someone I'm close with,” Tatum said after the Hawks' win, via NBC Sports Boston. “And obviously I’m close to Draymond Green. I know this is a final game from a few years ago. With that in mind, we've had a lot of fights against these guys over the last few years. So it will definitely be fun.”

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There's another important subplot to the highly anticipated matchup at TD Garden on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Warriors enter the game with a record of 6-1, having won four straight games. That's compared to the Celtics, who have a 7-1 record as reigning champions. Curry also missed three games due to injury, but the Warriors still won all of those contests.

So here are the Celtics, fresh off their first championship with this current core. Then they face off against the old Warriors dynasty, even though Golden State no longer has Klay Thompson. And even though it's still early in the season, the newer-look Warriors have impressed in their first seven games. Golden State went 46-36 last season to finish 10th overall in a hard-fought West tournament, but failed to get eliminated from the play-in tournament.

The last time the Celtics met the Warriors last season, they dominated them in Boston by a score of 140-88. That came after the Warriors beat the Celtics in San Francisco, where Curry's late three-pointer gave them the victory. In the crushing C win, the Warriors used a strange strategy in which they left Jaylen Brown wide open with several three-pointers. After Brown scored 19 points in the first quarter, they stalled, but the damage was done as the Celtics held a 44-22 lead after the first frame.

Although they only play twice a year, there will of course be some history between the Celtics and the Warriors after the 2022 Finals battle that lasted six games. Whenever these teams compete against each other, something usually grabs the headlines. The Celtics also get to face the Warriors as reigning champions for the first time, as this current core gets to hang its own banner.

The Warriors are still the old guard, and it looks like they still have some juice left in them. Curry is 36 and it remains to be seen how much production he has left in his career. Green is 34 and has become a villain in Boston sports history, so he'll probably hear it from the Celtics crowd, too. Add the Kerr perspective and anticipation for Wednesday's game should be high.