BOSTON — The Celtics and New York Knicks took the court docket for the opening sport of the NBA season Tuesday night time, a conflict that Jalen Brunson stated Tuesday morning was a good barometer — regardless of being the primary sport — for the place the new-look Knicks stand in opposition to the defending champions.
However as an alternative of a tense, dramatic affair, the one drama on this night time at TD Backyard, the place the Celtics raised their record-setting 18th NBA championship banner to the rafters, was watching Boston spend the ultimate 8:54 of the 132-109 win over New York attempting — and, in the end, failing — to interrupt the NBA report for 3-pointers made in a sport.
After Al Horford had Boston’s third straight make to begin the fourth quarter with 8:54 remaining — pushing Boston right into a tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA report with 29 makes in a sport — the Celtics missed 13 consecutive makes an attempt, together with three air balls and several other different ugly misses, in what turned out to be the one factor that did not go Boston’s manner.
“It was nearly like we received jinxed or one thing,” Celtics ahead Jaylen Brown stated. “It was like once we have been simply taking part in, having enjoyable, taking part in our fashion of basketball, the whole lot was getting into. After which as soon as the group received into it and we began looking them, we could not even hit the broad aspect of the barn. The whole lot was off. We received a bunch of nice seems, and it was like a lid on the basket.
“In order that simply reveals, like, we’re not a group that is looking 3s. We play the sport and we do what we’re purported to do, however I believe in the direction of the tip it was robust as a result of we wasn’t taking part in the way in which we had usually performed. However we nonetheless had a bunch of nice seems.”
Earlier than Boston’s chilly streak to finish the sport, the Celtics had gone 29-for-48 from behind the arc — a part of a teamwide offensive show that noticed the Celtics end with 33 assists in comparison with simply three turnovers. Jayson Tatum, recent off tweaking his jumper this summer time, completed with 37 factors on 14-for-18 taking pictures, together with 8-for-11 from 3-point vary.
However for as scorching because the Celtics have been for a lot of the sport, that is how chilly they turned down the stretch. Regardless of the group chanting “Yet another 3” on a number of events, it wasn’t sufficient for Boston to recover from the road because the Celtics spoiled the Knicks debuts of big-name offseason acquisitions Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Cities.
“I requested round, like, 26 what [the record] was,” Celtics guard Derrick White stated, “after which somebody informed me. After which once we have been tied, I used to be like, ‘Oh, we’re one away from the report.’
“I should not have stated something. It is form of like a no-hitter, huh. I blame myself for that one.”
The Knicks blamed themselves — and, particularly, their protection — for permitting the sport to get away from them as shortly and completely because it did. From coach Tom Thibodeau to Cities to Brunson, each a part of New York’s franchise made it clear that it’ll take a much better effort at that finish of the court docket to compete with Boston for Jap Convention supremacy.
“We will speak about offense all y’all need,” stated Cities, who had 12 factors and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. “I will depart that to y’all when y’all go residence and write the tales. However I do know for us we gotta play protection.”
Boston additionally appeared to repeatedly catch New York off-guard with fast seems in transition — one other factor everybody pointed to as an issue on this sport. And, in keeping with Second Spectrum, the Celtics made 15 3-pointers on halfcourt units that got here throughout the first 12 seconds, tied for his or her most in a sport since participant monitoring started in 2013-14.
“We have been in rotation,” stated Brunson, who led the Knicks with 22 factors in 24 minutes. “It began with Jayson flattening quite a lot of pictures off the pick-and-roll after which us adjusting and him making the proper play, getting us in rotation.
“So gotta give the credit score to them. They seem to be a good group. What they do is exclusive, and we have been simply on our heels all night time.”
What everybody on either side agreed on, nonetheless, was that this was only one sport of 82 for each groups. And whereas Boston fulfilled its said mandate to attempt to strategy this season as if it was a group difficult for the title, moderately than one coming off claiming its 18th NBA championship, New York now sees simply how a lot work it has to do to be able to attain the degrees it hopes to this season.
“It is Recreation 1,” Thibodeau stated. “We did not have that a lot time but. However it’s early, and also you gotta be taught from it. So our factor is get higher from this and watch movie and I believe it was an incredible check for a group like this, who’re already up there.
“It is a good check, and we’ll be taught from that and attempt to construct on what we received to do with our habits and the whole lot.”