Circle the date, people.
Barring any setbacks, Friday night's game between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will see Rajon Rondo make his highly-anticipated season debut.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed the news on his weekly appearance on 98.5 FM in Boston, saying "unless there are any setbacks [Thursday], we're anticipating him playing [Friday]."
Ainge added that Rondo, who will likely start in his return, would initially be on a five-minute-per-quarter restriction as a precaution, echoing head coach Brad Stevens' comments from Wednesday.
Brad Stevens on Rajon Rondo: "If Rondo comes back Friday he’s only going to play 18-20 minutes."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 16, 2014
Almost a year has passed his Rondo tore his ACL, and returning on Friday seems fitting considering the historic rivalry that exists between the Celtics and the Lakers.