The Boston Celtics finished their last season on top as they finally lifted Banner 18 and brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy for the first time in 16 years. It's only fitting that the champs start things off for the NBA as they are set to face off against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. The game is set for October 22, and it should be an absolute banger. It will be a showdown between two of the top teams in the East.
Boston Celtics will look to repeat
There is no question that Boston will be hunting for another trophy after getting the taste of sweet victory again. It will be interesting to see how this team does to start things off. They paid their stars, knowing that these guys could go out and do it again. However, one has to remember that Kristaps Porzingis probably won't make an appearance until their Christmas game. This could lead to some trouble against the Knicks in the opener.
It will be interesting to see if Neemias Queta gets some more minutes with the Porzingis injury. He proved to be a beast in the Summer League and will be a big plus on the boards. Luke Kornet will most likely be sharing the minutes with him as well.
JD Davison also played well this summer and will hopefully see more minutes on the main roster. A new addition, rookie Baylor Scheierman, is a three-point machine that has proven to be a decent first-round pick so far. Perhaps Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla can cook up another big-time season.
New York Knicks turned Villanova Knicks
Everyone has seen the memes all over social media about the "Villanova Knicks." This team will be a great one, but Mikal Bridges and Keita Bates-Diop were not worth three players and four unprotected first-round picks. The Knicks have entered a win-now attitude. There's nothing wrong with that, but hopefully, it doesn't backfire in the end.
The Knicks won't just be using the power of friendship to win this year. However, seeing all of those guys take pay cuts really shows you how locked in they are this season. Jalen Brunson might be coming into this season with some fire after being snubbed from the 2024 Paris Olympics squad. He has proven to be one of the best guards in the East and probably one of the best in the league. If he has had any growth in the offseason, the NBA will be in big trouble.
Josh Hart is, funnily enough, the heart of this team. We say this because he has been sacrificing his body while playing for an insane number of minutes. Brunson has more than him per game, but Hart played while in serious pain during the playoffs and proved how badly he wanted to be there. Donte DiVincenzo had one of his best seasons last year, Julius Randle will also be making his return, and RJ Barrett has been paid and is ready to put in the work.
What to expect in Celtics vs. Knicks
Look, Celtics fans (I'm one of you!), when it comes to the Knicks there's only one way this will go. It will be a back-and-forth battle that has both sets of fans pulling out their hair in stress as they yell profanities at the TV or court, depending on where you're watching. The Knicks opened against the Celtics last season at MSG, and the Cs managed to come home with it 108-104.
The Cs would beat the Knicks three more times, one more on the road and two at home. Finally, New York would get a win in the final game against them at TD 118-109. This might seem like things will lean in Boston's favor, but this just isn't true. Almost every game has the Knicks punching the Celtics hard in the first quarter. Most of the wins Boston had were tight until the third or fourth quarter.
It will all depend on how Boston decides to play center and if the starting five choose to show up for this game. Sometimes, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown manage to pull off some of the ugliest games you'll ever see from two stars. It's almost guaranteed that Brunson and his teammates will be going full throttle against them. This could end up being a fourth-quarter thriller. One thing remains certain: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks will always be a fun game.