NBA Christmas Day games are one of the league’s most fun traditions, and Boston Celtics fans almost always get to be in on the fun. As both one of
the most successful and most popular franchises in the league, Boston is a team that the NBA always wants to have at center stage.
The Christmas Day schedule for 2023 was leaked Thursday night and, surprise, it features Boston prominently. It’s also a vintage rivalry matchup for
Celtics fans.
Of course it’s no surprise to see the league playing favorites with LeBron and the Lakers, so we’re on the road, but a Celtics-Lakers matchup is always
going to be a lot of fun.
The Lakers have a record of .500 or better against 28 NBA franchises. The only exception? You guessed it.
The Celtics are an all-time 165-133 against L.A., and recent results have really helped widen that gap. We’ve won four of our last five against the
Lakers.
Don’t expect things to change this year, either. Despite recent playoff struggles, the Celtics are the favorites to win the 2023-24 NBA
Championship while the Lakers rank a distant sixth.
The Celtics’ preseason action will kick off on October 8, playing one more preseason game than we usually do, but it’s been a long offseason and what
fans are really craving is games that matter.
And even the regular season isn’t what we’re really concerned about. All the major regular season success lately has made the inability to come
through in the postseason especially frustrating.
This is a make-or-break season for a lot of Celtics, with Jaylen Brown now playing on a massive contract, Jayson Tatum looking for a similar payday
and Joe Mazulla probably being on the hot seat after last year’s embarrassing Eastern Conference Finals result.
If you’re already looking to back the Celtics, DraftKings is the best place to do it. New users who sign up through the exclusive Chowder and
Champions link below just need to place any $10 wager to instantly unlock a guaranteed $200 bonus. It doesn’t matter if that bet wins or loses, and
you don’t even need to wait for the result (so go ahead and bet on a Celtics Championship). This offer won’t be around forever though, so sign up now
to cash in before the season gets here!
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Milwaukee Bucks: Former Boston Celtics Forward Says Khris Middleton Is on the Same Level As Jimmy Butler
By Robin M Adams
Milwaukee Bucks three-time All-Star Khris Middleton may be one of the most underrated players in the NBA, even by his own fanbase. For much of
this offseason, many NBA fans, including Bucks fans, suggested scenarios in which Middleton was traded for other super star players such as James
Harden and Damian Lillard. However, none of the people making these proposals considered Middleton to be on the same level as the players.
How ironic it was/is that these trade scenarios exist even though Middleton is not considered by many to be a legitimate star in the NBA. That being
said, Evan Turner, the former Boston Celtics forward, believes that Middleton and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler are on the same level.
Evan Turner Claims that Milwaukee Bucks Forward Khris Middleton and Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler Are on the Same Level
As many debates tend to begin these days, especially in the NBA offseason, the entire debate started over a Twitter thread debating NBA 2k ratings.
Turner originally posted that he believed a 95 rating for Butler in the popular video game was too high.
After several people commented defense of Butler’s high rating, Turner responded:
“People would flip their lids if I tried to start a Khris Middleton or Jimmy Butler debate Cause that’s a true debate, respectfully for all parties involved.”
As one may expect, the the majority of the comments following this claim do not agree with it. After all, Butler is a six-time All-Star while Middleton
has made three All-Star teams.
That being said, there is a great deal of things that Middleton has accomplished that are comparable to Butler’s accomplishments.
1. Both Khris Middleton and Jimmy Butler Lifted Their Teams to the NBA Finals
Everyone remembers Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextending his knee in the Eastern Conference Finals, and coming back in the NBA Finals to lead
Milwaukee to its first championship in 50 years.
However, not everyone chooses to remember that Middleton closed out the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals to get the Bucks to the
Championship while Giannis was out.
After Game Four, the game in which Giannis got hurt, Middleton dropped 26 and 32 points in Games Five and Six to lead Milwaukee over Atlanta. In
the Finals, Middleton averaged 24.0 points per game, highlighted by a 40-point performance in Game Four.
Butler, of course, went on an impressive tear in the 2023 NBA Playoffs that included an upset of the number-one seeded Bucks. He led the Heat
through the East all the way to the Finals where they eventually fell to the Denver Nuggets.
Khris Middleton Averages More Points Per 36 Minutes Over the Past 5 Seasons Than Jimmy Butler
Mar 13, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks small forward Khris Middleton (22) reacts to a call before receiving a technical foul
during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports (NBA Rumors, NBA
News)
Over the last five seasons, Middleton and Butler have actually been very comparable scorers in the NBA regular season. Just take a look at their Per
36 Minutes stats since the 2018-19 season:
- Middleton: 22.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists
- Butler: 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists
Of course, stats don’t tell the whole story. Butler is a fantastic player who had a postseason run that few will ever be able to match. However, in the
regular season, the debate of Middleton versus Butler is more of a legitimate conversation than people think. Their per 36 numbers are nearly
identical, after all.
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