One of the more underrated historical rivalries in the NBA is between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.

Over the past two decades, the Cavaliers and Celtics seemed to continually meet in the playoffs and play closely contested games during the regular season.

Cleveland has had Boston’s number several times, dating back to LeBron James’ two stints with the Cavaliers. The pendulum then shifted Boston’s way when James left for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the rivalry took a back seat as Cleveland went through rebuilding.

However, this rivalry could be entering a new chapter with last year’s postseason finish completed and both the Cavaliers and Celtics having similar goals for 2024-2025.

Boston eliminated Cleveland in the playoffs last year, and this Cavaliers squad was eager to get in on a playoff rematch against them, even if it didn’t go their way.

On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers took on the Celtics with a perfect 15-0 record and as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while Boston was right behind them as the second seed.

The Celtics finally broke Cleveland’s historic streak and added a new layer to this rivalry. However, the Cavaliers did not remain silent. They came within four points of a 21-point comeback in the second half.

After the game, Kenny Atkinson was asked if he thought this game was the start of something between these two teams.

“Hopefully, I’m not sure they’ll say the same. For us, we’ve got a lot in the bank. Obviously, we’re going to see these guys in two weeks. There’s a lot of things we can improve on… Thanks to them. We’ll shoot them again soon,” Atkinson said.

So far this season, the Cavaliers and Celtics look like the two best teams in the East and could be on a crash course for the semifinals this spring.

They’re both on a similar timeline and want to win it all now, which means every match will have extra weight.