How Celtics Starters Set Tone To Begin Games In Fast Season Start

The Boston Celtics have rolled to a 3-0 start to the new NBA season after Monday’s 126-107 win over the Washington Wizards.

With an improved starting lineup through the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, fast starts have been a priority for Boston. Monday marked the blueprint for that philosophy with an exclamation point, outscoring the Wizards 42-19 in the first quarter.

“Something we can control is the way we come out and start games,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the win, per NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “We just have too many good players. We have a chance. We’re really trying to make sure we come out with the right mindset every single game. Doesn’t mean it’s going to go our way, but I really liked our approach to the game throughout the majority of it.”

With an overwhelming group of talent joining Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, allowing the power of the starting lineup to dominate is a top priority for the Celtics.

“I think we just came out and played,” Brown told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “It didn’t matter who was on the floor. It’s about us. We just come out and we’ve got a lot of talent. We’re going to be more talented than a lot of teams. We just try to take advantage of all of our opportunities. We had some open looks. We were aggressive.”

Celtics players have taken accountability on locked-in mindsets and starting the game right, as shown in Monday’s performance.

“It takes pressure of our offense and allows us to just play,” Brown added. “Mindset and mentality is something we’ve all been preaching. Joe (Mazzulla) has made sure he’s emphasizing that. As a leader of the team, I’ve been making sure we’re emphasizing that we’ve got to run through the finish line. It’s nights like tonight where it’s easy to take your foot off the gas.”

These priorities in philosophies are impacts that the Celtics hope can be the difference maker in the team’s championship aspirations.

“We’ve got a totally different team,” Tatum told reporters. “Like I’ve been on record saying, we’ve been extremely close these last two years. We’re just trying to do everything we can to get over that hump. We’re on a good track.”

The Celtics look to move to 4-0 against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.