BOSTON – As highlights played on the Jumbotron above them, Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford – staples of this chapter in the team’s storied history – gathered at center court and relived their tenure at TD Garden again, all culminating in Tuesday’s game. NBA Championship Ring Ceremony.
“I’ve been teammates with JB for seven years,” Tatum said. “I was 19 when I got drafted, and Al was in his 10th year; now he’s in his 18th year. The journey we’ve all been on together has gotten us to this point, and it was cool to share that moment with those two to share guys, enjoy it, enjoy it and embrace it.
“It just took some getting used to,” Brown added. “Me, JT and Al were together, and that was possible feeling It. When we won I was in shock, but today all our emotions calmed down. It was like, ‘We did it.’ We have done something spectacular. Regardless of what anyone has to say, my name – along with my teammates – will be etched in the history of the Celtics, which is one of the greatest franchises not only in basketball but in sports.”
Before them stood Celtic legends Bob Cousy, Cedric Maxwell, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – yet more chapters in Celtics lore. Behind them was an 18th championship banner, a league record, ready to be raised to the rafters. And once that happened, Tatum grabbed a microphone to address the crowd at Garden.
“To the best fans in the world,” he said, “let’s do it again.”
This would mean that the New York Knicks would play a basketball game against the newly crowned champions. If the intention was to spoil Boston’s night, the Knicks failed miserably. The Celtics took a 20-point lead in the first quarter and tied an NBA record, making 29 three-pointers en route to a 132-109 win.
It was beautiful basketball on behalf of Boston. They became the fourth team in NBA history to record at least 30 assists, 20 3s and five or fewer turnovers, all while recording 51/48/88 shooting splits.
As for the Knicks, who own the Eastern Conference’s second-best title odds, newcomers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges combined for 28 points on 22 shots, much of which came after the outcome was decided. They seemed lost at times, as if they didn’t yet know how to complement Jalen Brunson.
“That’s the easy way out,” Brunson said of apologies, “but we still got hit.”
Bridges did little to ease concerns about his new jumper, missing his first five shots of the game. His first goal came from the corner in the opening minutes of the second half, when the Knicks trailed by 26.
“We don’t care about all the background noise about Mikal and his shot,” Knicks teammate Josh Hart said. “We don’t care. He puts in the effort every day. He’ll be good. The talk around it is stupid. There’s stupidity in it because at the end of the day he’s been a 40% three-point shooter.” .”
On the other end, Bridges made seven of his last eight shots. The positive side ended there. Time will tell if the Knicks can close the gap on Boston. And it’s a good thing they have time; there is still a long way to go.
New York’s defense pretended to be unaware that the Celtics led the league in three-point attempts last season. They didn’t even have to hunt them; every look was good. The biggest benefactor was Tatum, who paced the pick-and-roll and drilled 14 of his 18 shots (8 of 11 from 3) for 37 points.
So much for the concerns about Tatum’s wayward shooting. He made his MVP case in Game 1.
“The shot felt good,” Tatum said. “Offensively, I felt like things picked up where we left off last season. We brought back almost everyone. We played to our strengths. We know what we’re trying to do. We know where we’re trying to attack. know what sets and actions to do. We work on it all the time.”
Brown and Derrick White added 23 and 24 points, respectively. Horford, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser reached double figures. Yes, it looked like the reigning champions were picking up where they left off. They moved the ball, spread the floor and executed at a level their top competitors couldn’t reach.
“Three or four games a year where a team is just shooting the ball at an absurd clip,” Hart added. “Give them credit: great energy, ring night, they came out and shot the ball in a way we’ve only seen once before.”
The rest of the league must insist this was an anomaly. Because if you think the Celtics are this good this early — if you think they can repeat it all season long — then you’re accepting an inevitable repeat.
But for Boston on Tuesday, it felt like something had been handed down from past dynasties. There’s something different about this team now that they’ve won. They know who they are: champions.
“With the legendary Celtics in the building – Bob Cousy, KG, Paul, Cedric Maxwell, all the guys who won – it’s almost like they’re passing the torch,” Brown said. “I fought them at the beginning of the game. It was awesome. This is what we wanted to do. My rookie year, when I got drafted, this is what I said I was going to do: I was going to go to war for this city and It’s great to see that banner being raised.”
The work to add another one began again with a defeat of their rival in the Atlantic Division. When given a second chance to reconsider his pre-match speech, Tatum doubled down instead. “I know we’re not supposed to talk about repeating it, but the fans were so excited that I said, ‘F*** it, let’s do it again.'”
