Knicks-Celtics: 5 takeaways from opening night

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics deliver a record-setting 3-point victory in Tuesday's opening game.

• Get NBA League Pass TODAY >

BOSTON – The first game of the 2024-25 NBA season did nothing to dispel the notion that the defending champion Boston Celtics are the clear favorites to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy again.

Game 1 of 1,230 was a clear domination by the champions of the team that many expect to be their toughest competition in the Eastern Conference, a 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks that saw the Celtics win 29-3 NBA single game record set pointer.

Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and film about Boston's 20th win by at least 20 points since the start of last season.

1. Threesomes galore

The Celtics led the league in 3-pointers last season and made 47.1% of their shots from long range. On Tuesday, they hit 64% of their shots from long range, and for good reason.

For one thing, they went in. When the Celtics set the record for 3s made in a game with 8:54 left in the fourth quarter, they were 29 of 48 (60.4%) from deep. Jayson Tatum was on fire, shooting 8 of 11 and scoring a game-high 37 points.

But so were most of those 3-point attempts Good Shots, open and in rhythm. The Celtics are a championship team with an elite offense and they brought everyone back.

“I feel like we just picked up where we left off last year,” Tatum said. “We play to our strengths.”

In the final 8 1/2 minutes of the game, the Celtics had 13 attempts (including a few good shots) to break the record…and missed them all. Despite all those late misses, they scored more efficiently against the Knicks on Tuesday – 132 points on 91 possessions (145.1 per 100) – than any other team in all of last season, including the playoffs.

There will be a day when a team makes 30 3-pointers in a game. And this team is a strong candidate for that.

2. Attacking cities pays off

The Celtics offense is pretty simple. They identify the opponent's weakest defenders and put them in front of Tatum or Jaylen Brown. These guys attack, and when they don't have a shot themselves, they bend the defense, move the ball and he ends up finding a good shot.

On Tuesday, their main target was new Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns was guarding Al Horford, and on the first possession of the game, Horford set up a ball screen for Tatum. Towns was in “drop” coverage and backed up so Tatum couldn’t drive past him. And with plenty of room, Tatum just got into a pull-up 3:

After Tatum shot a few three-pointers off the dribble, Towns was forced to play higher in the pick-and-roll. And that just gave Boston better opportunities.

Midway through the third quarter, Horford set up another lead for Tatum. Towns was up high while Mikal Bridges fought across the screen to get back to his man. With the attention of two defenders, Tatum made the right play and got the ball to Horford, who swung it to Derrick White for an open three-pointer.

On the very next possession, Horford created another opportunity for Tatum, giving Bridges and Towns possession again. This time OG Anunoby rotated to Horford, preventing the pick-and-pop pass.

So White flashed to the middle of the field and pulled Josh Hart away from Jaylen Brown in the right corner. One pass later, Brown had another open one, in rhythm 3:

Simple basketball. Pick a matchup you want to exploit. Give yourself an advantage. Find an open shot.

With his 37 points, Tatum also had 10 assists. And he generated even more buckets.

“We work on reads every day in practice,” Tatum said, “and that's basically all we do. “We have plays and stuff like that, but we just do reads. We know where to be, we know when to cut, we know when to space the floor and we know when to make the extra pass.”

3. The Celtics aren't afraid to guard big players

Do the same against It's not that easy with the Celtics because they have better defenders. If the Champions have a weakness, it's Horford defending the pick-and-roll, and he was thwarted off the dribble several times on Tuesday.

But the Celtics limited that problem by letting Jrue Holiday defend Towns. This allowed them to change the Brunson-Towns pick-and-roll and keep a good defender in front of the player (Brunson) generating good shots for the Knicks.

Towns was able to score early in the post against Holiday and shoot over him late in the second quarter, but that matchup didn't produce nearly as many good possessions as the Celtics did against Towns at the other end of the court.

Boston also doubled Towns on occasion. Normally they hate having two players on the ball, but on Tuesday the Knicks couldn't take advantage of it.

Late in the first quarter, Towns posted up Tatum and drew a double team. Holiday then made a spectacular play by assisting on a Cameron Payne push, anticipating Payne's next pass, deflecting it and passing it the other way for a layup:

The 2022-23 and 23-24 Celtics are the first team in the 47 years since the league began counting turnovers to finish in the top two both Finishes on the floor in back-to-back seasons. And they could certainly do it a third time in a row.

4. The Knicks lose their rebounding advantage

The Knicks' greatest strength over the last two years has been rebounding. Two seasons ago, they ranked second in both offensive rebounding percentage and overall rebounding percentage. Last season they led the league in both games.

But none of the three guys who led the team in total offensive rebounds last season were available Tuesday. Isaiah Hartenstein is now with the Thunder, while Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa were both sidelined with injuries.

Towns is 7-foot-1, but as a perimeter-oriented big, he was never much of an offensive rebounder. He has captured just 5.0% of available offensive boards in each of the last two seasons. (For comparison, Robinson and Hartenstein hit 17.0% and 12.9%, respectively, last season.

As a team, the Knicks retained just 18.4% of available offensive rebounds entering Tuesday, which would have been their second-lowest rate last season (95 games total, including playoffs). The Celtics had the advantage (16-13) in second-chance points.

Towns' shots will make the Knicks' starting offense stronger, but they likely won't get as many second chances as they have in the past.

5. Banner No. 18 is hoisted to the rafters

Although Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is a relentless competitor who appears to focus solely on shooting quality, he values ​​his role working for the winningest franchise in NBA history.

That was obviously a topic of conversation Tuesday as the Celtics hoisted their 18th championship banner to the ceiling of the TD Garden and accepted their championship rings. Guests at the ceremony included Celtics legends Bob Cousy (now 96 years old), Cedric Maxwell, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

“We have been entrusted with the tradition of this organization,” Mazzulla said previously. “And we have a responsibility to the city and the people who came before us. This job wouldn’t be what it is if the people before us hadn’t put in the time and effort to make it what it was.”

When later asked about his new ring, Mazzulla joked that it was too big and that he would never wear it.

“I was more intrigued by the banner,” he said. “I come here every afternoon and look at them. They represent so much.”

After receiving his ring, Tatum took the microphone and thanked the audience at the Garden and the city of Boston for their support. And he ended with a simple message.

“Let’s do it again.”

* * *

John Schuhmann is a senior statistical analyst for NBA.com. You can send him an email Herefind his archive here And Follow him on X.

The views on this site do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.