Celtics Wrap: Boston Sets Tone By Toying With Knicks On Banner Night

BOSTON — The Celtics couldn’t have opened up their 2024-25 season in a sweeter way. First, they received their championship rings and raised Banner 18 to the rafters. Then, Boston crushed the Knicks, 132-109, at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

With a season-opening win, Boston is off to a 1-0 start while New York begin at 0-1.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Talk is cheap, however, scoring 74 points in the first half on 55.1% shooting speaks (pretty loudly) for itself. Boston spent media day, training camp, and the entirety of the preseason setting the record straight: last season was last season.

The Celtics, just like everyone else in the NBA, are chasing the next Larry O’Brien Trophy. It’s anyone’s title at this point, therefore, it makes sense to treat the campaign almost as if they hadn’t even won last season. Since there have only been 13 teams, ever, to win back-to-back championships in NBA history, Boston isn’t abusing the critical process that goes into earning the right to raise a banner.

New York, in hard-to-watch fashion, simply got caught in the crossfire.

When Boston opened up its preseason against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi and hurled 61 total 3-pointers, it signaled head coach Joe Mazzulla’s game plan to take the Celtics’ three-friendly offense to a whole new level. Boston averaged 42.5 attempts from three last season and while it’s a controversial style of basketball that’s both propelled and haunted the Celtics in recent years, it buried Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks early.

Trading measly layups for threes wasn’t the answer. Double-teaming Jayson Tatum, also, wasn’t the answer and newly acquired center Karl-Anthony Towns (certainly) wasn’t the answer. New York proved that its offseason hype, until further notice, is nothing more than fodder for interesting debates ahead of what the Celtics made an interesting first battle between the Eastern Conference rivals.

It wasn’t a friendly welcome back home for Thibodeau, an ex-Celtics assistant coach and Massachusetts native — to say the least.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum was the primary source of star power, scoring a game-high 37 points with 10 assists and four rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. The 26-year-old was jaw-droppingly efficient, shooting 14-of-18 from the floor, including 8-of-11 from 3-point range to keep New York at bay from start to finish.

— Derrick White was also efficient, going 8-for-13 from the field with 24 points while also knocking down six threes. White collected three rebounds, dished out four assists and tallied a steal before getting a much-deserved fourth quarter of rest.

— New York’s Jalen Brunson led the opposition with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, but also committed a game-high four turnovers and only drained a single 3-pointer.

UP NEXT FOR THE REIGNING CHAMPS
Boston will take a few off days before hitting the road to take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Tip-off from Capital One Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.