The Boston Celtics hosted the New York Knicks to kick off the 2024-25 NBA season on Tuesday night, also known as Banner Night in the city of Boston.
The Celtics defeated the Knicks to the tune of a 132-109 beatdown in the first game playing under a league-most 19 championship banners in the TD Garden rafters.
Al Horford received the starting nod after only playing in one preseason game. Many thought it would be Luke Kornet that would be starting while Kristaps Porzingis is out for the first part of the season considering he started most of the preseason with the regulars.
Here are four takeaways from the game:
Celtics Legends
The Celtics had a few legends in the building for Banner Night and they kicked the night off by introducing them. It started with Bob Cousy being pushed in a wheelchair as he embraced the TD Garden crowd with double peace signs as he was received a standing ovation. Cedric Maxwell followed behind him, with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce together again for a celebration.
Pierce walked in holding the 2024 Larry O’Brien Trophy and then he handed it off to Al Horford.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown walked over to Boston’s former Big 3 and shook their hands and paid each other their respect.
It was an iconic moment in franchise history to see Pierce, Garnett, Allen, Tatum, and Brown all at center court for a Banner Night.
Ring & Banner Ceremony
The Celtics got things rolling with a heartfelt message from Wyc Grousbeck addressing the fans about the greatness of this championship team.
It was followed by the ring ceremony, where NBA Commissioner Adam Silver introduced each player, gave him a handshake, and then Grousbeck handed each ring to each player.
Seeing the championship banner being lifted into the rafters was special. At one point, they paused with the banner floating over the team to take a team photo with it. The moment was breathtaking to see the banner floating above the team like it was.
Tatum & Brown
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are going to be the two best players on the basketball court in most games this season. Brown is playing like the season never ended while Tatum looks to be refreshed and refocused.
Tatum scored 37-points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from behind the arc while also making 10-assists and grabbed four rebounds. His shot looks smooth after working on it in the short offseason that he had after the Olympics.
Brown scored 23-points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from behind the arc and grabbed seven assists. He looked like the strongest player on the court and he’s playing like it’s the middle of the season.
Together, the Jays combined for 60-points on opening night against a team that was rebuilt to take down the Celtics.
3-Point Shooting
The Celtics made 29 3-pointers, which set a franchise record and tied the NBA record. The entire team contributed, with Tatum making eight, Derrick White made seven, and Brown made five, to lead the way for the team.
Boston attempted 61 3-pointers, which is good for the fifth most attempted in a game in NBA history. Every starter made at least three 3s while the bench added three more and they finished the game with a 47.5 3-point percentage.
It’s worth mentioning that the team was aware of the record, but they ultimately failed due to forcing the situation. They ended the game by missing their last 13 attempts from behind the arc.
Joe Mazzulla eventually gave the orders to dribble the clock out.
Next Game
The Celtics travel to Washington for a matchup with the Wizards on Thursday to start the first little weekend road trip of the year, as they’ll be in Detroit on Saturday before returning to Boston for a Monday night game at the TD Garden.
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Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE Getty Images
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