NBA Rivals Week / Regular-season National Spotlight (2022)

The NBA introduced a Rivals Week initiative to highlight traditional and contemporary rivalries during the 2022–23 regular season, and the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat matchup was included among the marquee rival pairings showcased on national broadcasts and league promotion calendars [1]. The scheduling placed the teams in high-visibility slots intended to draw national attention, with league materials and broadcasters framing the matchup as part of the NBA's curated set of must-watch rivalry games [1]. The inclusion of Celtics–Heat in Rivals Week programming underscored the league's view of the matchup as among the more compelling regular-season pairings because of recent postseason history and frequent high-stakes meetings between the franchises [1].

Rivals Week matters because it formalized league recognition of Celtics–Heat as a recurring, nationally marketable matchup, increasing regular-season exposure for the rivalry outside of playoff windows and providing more national broadcast opportunities for marquee head-to-head storylines [1].

Rivals Week contributed to broader media attention on Celtics–Heat meetings outside the playoffs and created additional national platforms on which storylines—player matchups, coaching adjustments, and rematches from recent postseason meetings—could be told during the regular season [1]. The scheduling decision fed into season-long narratives and build-up toward potential playoff rematches.