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the teams that have won the larry o'brien championship trophy in the past two years - the 2023 championship nuggets and the 2024 championship celtics - have arrived in abu dhabi on tuesday local time and will be in the preseason of the 2024-25 season starts at 0:00 on saturday, beijing time. this is also one of the two games in the uae. here are five things to know about the race in abudha:

1. trip to abu dhabi in the third year

over the past two seasons, the nba has played two exhibition games in abu dhabi, showcasing some of the league's brightest stars to a global audience.

-in 2022, trae young and the hawks swept the bucks led by giannis antetokounmpo in two preseason games.

-in 2023, anthony edwards led the timberwolves to defeat the mavericks led by luka doncic in two games. this was also a preview of this year's western conference finals.

-in 2024, there will be a focus showdown between the two championship teams last season.

2. four olympians compete again in abu dhabi

jayson tatum, derrick white, jrue holiday and nikola jokic are back in abu dhabi for the second time in three months, having previously participated in a usa basketball exhibition game for psg preparing for the olympics.

-two wins: the celtics' tatum, white and holiday defeated the nuggets' serbian player jokic 105-79 in an exhibition game in abu dhabi and defeated the nuggets' serbian player jokic in the semifinals of the paris olympics. 95-91 another thrilling victory. both teams won medals: the united states beat host france for gold, while serbia beat germany for bronze.

3. champion showdown

last season, the celtics led the league with a record of 64 wins and 18 losses, but the only team they did not defeat was the nuggets.

- no title defense: since 2018, the nba has not seen a championship team successfully defend its title, and in the past five years, the defending champion has a record of 9 wins and 2 losses against the previous season's champion.

4. the new appearance of the two teams

the battle in abu dhabi comes 109 days after the celtics won their 18th nba championship in franchise history. saturday will be their first combined appearance on the court after celebrating this summer.

-the celtics move on: the celtics renewed their star players (tatum and white signed contract extensions) and role players (sam houser, xavier tillman, luke ko nate and nemeans queta), they hope to defend their title by keeping their lineup stable.

-new nuggets roster: the nuggets lost kentavious caldwell-pope and filled the void by signing former mvp russell westbrook and forward dario saric.

5. global season starts

the abu dhabi game will kick off the preseason for the second consecutive year, but it won't be the only nba global game for the 2024-25 season.

-mexico game: the wizards traveled from north america to south america to participate in the game. they will face the heat in mexico city on november 3. this is also the 33rd nba game played in mexico since 1992.

-paris: after leading france to an olympic silver medal, victor vunbanyama will lead the spurs against the pacers in paris on january 24 and 26.

（NBA）