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The Boston Celtics will be playing their 16th game of the season on Friday night, but it will not be your typical regular-season contest. The C's will be facing off against one of their fiercest rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers and for his part, it is clear that Jayson Tatum is very much looking forward to this high-profile matchup.
Tatum revealed that he has pretty much marked Friday's tilt against the Lakers on his calendar. The Celtics star is relishing the opportunity to face off against one of Boston's old foes and he's more than ready to take on the challenge:
“That game is special. Obviously, everyone knows the history between the two franchises, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of that going on five years now,” Tatum said, via CBS Boston. “I obviously understand who they have on their team. And especially in somebody like LeBron, that is one of the best to play this game. Obviously as a kid those are the matchups that you dreamed about and you don’t take for granted when you get the opportunity. Because as a competitor, you love games and you love moments like that.”
The Lakers have been struggling early in the season. They have been without LeBron James, who is currently dealing with an abdominal injury and has missed his team's last eight games. However, the 36-year-old has been upgraded as questionable ahead of Friday's bout, and in his mind, Tatum is hoping that LeBron is able to suit up for LA.
Much like the Lakers, the Celtics have been up-and-down this season as well. They've won three out of their last five games and are currently sitting at a rather disappointing 7-8 record. As of Thursday afternoon, Boston is ninth in the East. It's a good thing the playoffs aren't starting tomorrow.
Tatum has had a rough start to the 2021-22 campaign himself. The two-time All-Star has averaged 24.2 points on a career-low 39.6 percent shooting. He is, however, grabbing a career-best 8.5 rebounds per contest which is one of the few bright spots for Tatum in what has been a frustrating start to the season.
