NBA schedule: Boston kicks off season Tuesday night vs. Miami

The NBA season tips off Tuesday night, and the Boston Celtics will be one of the teams featured as they take on the Miami Heat in the first nationally televised game of the year.

The season technically starts with a 7 p.m. matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but NBA fans will be more likely to pay attention to Boston's 8 p.m. tip on TNT, a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. Ray Allen is far from the first option for the stacked NBA Champions, but he'll be the center of attention as he plays against the team with which he spent the last five seasons of his Hall of Fame career for the first time with the Heat. Boston's preseason started off badly with a loss to Turkish team Fenerbahce, but the team slowly kicked into gear as Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce began playing longer minutes in preparation for the season.

After starting their season in Miami, the Celtics will play their home opener Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.