Three months after lifting the NBA title, the Celtics are BACK, and they looked better than ever, tearing apart the new-look New York Knicks on the same night they hoisted banner eighteen. It was a historic night in many ways; off the court the NBA champions received their rings, but on the court, they did something just as special. They tied the NBA record for threes in a game at 29 and Jayson Tatum had eight of them. The St Louis native has reformed his jump-shot over the summer, and it showed as he dropped 37 points on 77% shooting. The game was never really close, and Boston blew away their Atlantic division rivals 132-109.
The very first play set the tone for tonight’s matchup, Tatum walked into a three on the right wing and nailed it. His squad rattled off another nine 3s in the opening period and exploded into a nineteen-point lead by the end of the quarter. Boston’s star wing was the driving force behind their win, he not only scored 37 points but also dished out 10 assists in a performance that resembled some of the best play we’ve ever seen from him.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns donned the New York uniform for the first time and disappointed in their season opener. Bridges was brought in to provide defence and shooting but offered little of either, whereas Towns’ ability to stretch the floor was a major factor in the Knicks’ decision to acquire him, however he only attempted two shots from beyond the arc and scored just 12-points. Miles McBride was the one bright spark as he came off the bench to score 26 points (4-5 from three) in an equal second quarter.
Boston came out in the second half and took the game completely out of reach with another barrage of shots from deep. Derrick White hit consecutive threes to start the quarter as the lead crept all the way up to 35. White had a superb outing with 24 points along with four assists to control the backcourt.
Come the beginning of the fourth quarter the game was done, but there was one thing still possible for the Celtics. With around eight minutes to play, Boston needed just one shot from beyond the arc to beat the record set by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020 against the Miami Heat. Although after thirteen attempts the Celtics couldn’t quite get on to fall and had to settle for tying the record. It was quite the effort to begin the season as Boston closed out the convincing win.
After the game Joe Mazzulla was asked about how he felt about his team’s season opener via Boston.com: “I was proud of the way they responded from the ring ceremony to the game”. He also added: “We were able to transition to what got us where we were to where we’re trying to get to. It’s a great start. It’s a credit to them”. The Celtics will head on their first road trip tomorrow, playing the Wizards at Capital One Arena.
By Will C
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