It was noticeable from the start the Celtics were tight when they saw the Warriors for the first time since they snatched an NBA title away from Boston back in June.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum tried too much to take on multiple Warriors defenders early on while the role players on the Celtics, aside for Blake Griffin and Malcolm Brogdon, didn't provide their usual spark. That led to the Celtics falling into a hole and it was an uphill battle for the rest of the game.
The Celtics certainly had a dose of revenge on their mind, but their emotions got the best of them which resulted in Boston not playing its best brand of basketball and falling to the Warriors, 123-107, at the Chase Center.
Brown even admitted following the loss that the Celtics put too much emphasis on trying to get back at the Warriors.
"I think that we definitely played a little tense tonight and we definitely got some stuff that we got to continue to work on, for sure," Brown said, per NBC Sports Boston. "But last year is over. Obviously, we have to learn and grow, which we have. And we played this game like we had it circled, almost in a sense, for a long time instead of just playing our game.
"Coming out playing the way we've been playing, moving the ball, making shots. We were a little tense and it kind of showed. It's just one game. It only counts as one. So, we'll get back to it, get back to playing the way we've been playing and having some fun with it."
The Warriors definitely seem to have an edge on the Celtics at the moment, especially when it comes to Golden State being able to clamp down on Boston's offense.
After their shortcomings on the NBA Finals stage, coming up short again to the Warriors was disheartening for Brown and company as they try to now turn the page.
"It's not a great feeling losing in this building so all of us feel like we're taking it a little harder than we probably should, but we bounce back," Brown said, per the Boston Herald's Steve Hewitt. "Get ready for the next one. We can't let one game determine the outcome of the rest of this season."
