The NBA released its schedule for the 2024-25 season on Thursday. A special clash between well-known franchises at the beginning of the season stands out.

The Boston Celtics host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, November 6th at TD Garden on NBC Sports Boston. Celtics games against the Warriors are always must-see TV. They have played some great games in recent years, including the 2022 NBA Finals.

But this next encounter has another facet. Jayson Tatum was a member of the men’s Olympic basketball team that just won the gold medal in Paris. But he didn’t get the playing time that one would expect from a player of his caliber. The head coach of the US team was Steve Kerr, who also coaches the Warriors. Kerr didn’t let Tatum play in two of the six Olympic duels, including the semifinal against Serbia.

Much of the basketball world was baffled by Kerr’s lineup decisions regarding Tatum.

All of this sets the stage for potential fireworks on Nov. 6 in Boston, when the Warriors play their only game of the season at the Garden. After his Olympics appearance, Tatum should be highly motivated to send a message to Kerr in that game.

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“He seems to use things as motivation,” said Drew Carter of NBC Sports Boston on a new episode of the Celtics Talk podcast. “Think about all the things he said after the Celtics won the championship. ‘What are they going to say now?’ ‘People aren’t putting me in the top five.’ ‘You have to give me credit.’ He’s clearly listening.

“I think it’s counterproductive sometimes. I think sometimes it can be a waste of energy reading all that stuff. That’s easy for me to say, I’m not an NBA player. But if that’s how it works for him, I think it’s a good thing.”

Does Brian Scalabrine of NBC Sports Boston think Tatum will be motivated to compete against Kerr and the Warriors?

“I love when Tatum is motivated,” Scalabrine said. “I like when he goes out there and tries to score 50. That’s how I like to play Jayson Tatum. I like that he (involves teammates), but you can be extremely aggressive, score 50 and give eight, nine, 10 assists. I think he’ll be motivated.”

The Tatum motivation factor isn’t the only storyline in this game.

You may remember that the Celtics beat the Warriors by 52 (!) at the Garden last season. It was an embarrassment for Golden State. Celtics star and reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was not selected to the Olympic team, so he will probably be motivated to play against Kerr as well. And of course, Stephen Curry is still one of the top five players in the league and puts on a show almost every night.

Mark November 6th on your calendars, Celtics fans.

“First of all, the game is on NBC Sports Boston, so tune in,” Carter said. “It’s still early in the season. There’s the Tatum motivation factor, there’s the Brown motivation factor, there’s a Finals rematch from a few years ago. And there’s Steph Curry, who is still at the peak of his powers after his Olympics performances.”

Also in this episode:

• Breaking down the schedule
• Assessment of the Celtics’ rivals
• Ranking of the Celtics’ top games