The Celtics Capped Off A Dream Banner Night By Kicking The Absolute Shit Out Of The New Look Knicks

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

I talk a lot about how the Celts have transported us to some sort of incredible Basketball Nirvana, and I'd last night was the perfect example of what that looks like. Everything about the night was incredible. The ceremony, seeing all the legends back together again, the ring itself, the banner going up, kicking the absolute shit out of the overhyped and under-proven New Look Knicks, the threes, the crowd, the court, it was all incredible.

Heading into the year it's one thing to be hopeful right? We were hopeful that the Jays would come back with a vengeance and play like they were out for blood. We hoped that they would pick up right where they left off as a team where the last time we saw the Celts play it was clear there was about a Grand Canyoned-sized gap between them and the rest of the league.

Well, based on what we saw in the preseason and then again last night against a fully healthy Knicks team that was "supposed" to be the Celts closest competition I think it's fair to suggest that while this may be a new year, we are watching the same old WAGON when it comes to the NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

I saw a lot of coping on Twitter after this game talking about how this was just a one off historic shooting performance by the Celts, they won't do it again, things of that nature. I admit, it was cute. As if the Celts just somehow fell backwards into a game like this. In reality, this is who they have been for over 100+ games now. It's how they won the title. They have solved the puzzle both in terms of roster construction and playstyle. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.

What this win showed us wasn't anything we didn't already know, but it was a lesson that the Knicks and their fans had to learn (again). Playing the Celtics boils down to two constants. 

1. If you cannot guard the perimeter/wing at a high level with size and length, you're cooked

2. If you cannot hang with the Celts in terms of 3P volume and production, you're cooked

This is why the Knicks "loaded up" on wing defenders and shooters right? The only problem is it was pretty clear their best wing defenders can't guard the Celtics' two best players and their offensive approach is simply not going to work against Mazzulla Ball. Trading 2s for 3s against this team is asking to get blown out. Why Thibs never understood that is anyone's guess, but this game served as a reminder that before you go crowning any other team in this league, please remember they need to beat THIS team 4 out of 7 times, and the Celts did all this without their 7'3 unicorn. Think about that for a second! They didn't even hit their ceiling and they were up 20 points in the first quarter!

It's rare that we get one of these nights that is truly perfect in every aspect. The whole experience was better than I had ever imagined it would be over the last 100+ days since June 17th, and the best part is this is only the beginning. Things are going to get better from here.

But before we look ahead, we first must look back. Let's dive in.

The Good

- I want to be very clear when I say this. When it comes to Jayson Tatum, we are witnessing greatness. Of all the versions of Tatum we've seen since he first arrived in Boston, there is no doubt that NBA Champion Jayson Tatum is by far the best. What I saw last night was a player who not only could not be stopped, he knew it. Always under control, completely picking apart whatever coverage Thibs threw at him all while not turning the ball over (1 TO), a jumper that could not look more pure, and a level of confidence that only comes with being a champion

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I'm going to say it again.

When it comes to Jayson Tatum, we are witnessing greatness.

Think of how many legendary players have ever played for the Boston Celtics. Pick a name, anyone you want. Russell, Bird, Havlichek, Tommy, KG, Pierce etc. Not a single one of them has ever done what Jayson Tatum just did in an NBA game last night. Not once. 

One of the things I was most excited to see this year was how free both Tatum and Brown could now play. Gone are the days of doubt and questioning whether or not they are "the guy". With that shit behind us, look at what we're getting. 

With Tatum, it's a player that has now become scheme proof. It wasn't always this way, in his early years you could trap him and force errant passes or speed him up into some pretty poor turnovers. Now? Watch those highlights again. When the Knicks tried to trap with KAT, Tatum took his time and found the right pass that led to points. When KAT was in any sort of drop, it was an automatic Tatum pullup 3PM. If you switch with Tatum, he'll either take your big out in space and go by you, or take your smaller player into the post and overpower them. When it was time to cook Bridges in isolation, Tatum went with force and with purpose. There was no pussyfooting around with the ball before his move. He was decisive and he was aggressive.

Like I said, he's scheme proof.

We're also seeing growth in how he approaches things. I think you'll agree that in early versions, a possession like this is 1000000000% a Tatum end of shot clock side step 3PA that most likely misses. Now? 

There's no rush, there's no panic, there's no inefficient offensive approach. Instead, the Celts run their inverted P&R where they have their smaller player set the screen and short roll just like White did here, and that's an easy pass for Tatum to make since he's bigger than both players guarding him.

To most, this will seem like no big deal and a simple pass. To those who have watched every dribble of Tatum's career, you can see his growth in these situations. It's winning basketball. It's championship basketball. It's Celtics basketball.

- I can't lie, this had me extremely emotional and healed something deep within me that I didn't know needed to be healed

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That's the beauty of Banner Night. It heals all.

- One of the best parts of this win for me was how suddenly, after 1 game, the Celtics were apparently ruining the sport of basketball and the product as a whole because of how dominant they are. That was a new one. Everyone crying about the 3PA and how "it's ugly". Feed me your tears you losers. We had everything when it came to broken brain syndrome last night, from some suggesting the Celtics don't move the ball or have player movement, despite ya know, having 33 AST and generating the majority of their 3PA from passing and player movement

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Muahahahahhahahaha! Feed me the tears! It's Game 1 and the haters and losers of which there are still many cannot stand it. Welcome to Mazzulla Ball losers, I hope you enjoy your stay!

132 points on 50/47% splits with 29 3PM and 33 AST with only 3 TOs. A 33:3 AST to TO ratio is so absurd but it's also not that surprising for a team that plays the most unselfish style of basketball in the league. I truly do not understand how people watch Mazzulla Ball and call it "boring" or not good offense. Buddy, it's a historic offense. It's the best offense you've ever seen since the Warriors Dynasty and I would argue even better considering 95% of the roster can shoot 3s at a high clip. 

We've reached the point where all you can do is pray the Celts have an off shooting night, and that off shooting night has to be historically bad. Otherwise, it's an easy 30 point win. The math is the math. You can try and deny it, you can try and run from it, but Mazzulla Ball arrives all the same. 

- It was important for the Celts to turn the water off when it came to Jalen Brunson, and I thought the backcourt did a fairly good job. DWhite held him to just 1-4 shooting, Jrue did his thing when he wasn't switched onto KAT and completely took him away, and I think this game gave us a look at how Joe is going to approach the Knicks which will be important to remember going forward.

If you have a non-shooter on the floor, that guy is going to be covered by Al Horford. The Celts can do this because Jrue Holiday can guard up, and we saw a similar approach in this game as we did in the previous MIN games when it came to KAT. Throw Jrue on him, be ready for the switch if needed, and put someone with length like Jaylen Brown on Brunson to start. The Knicks had no answer for this and that's not surprising, few teams do. That's the benefit of not having a single hole on defense. 

- Offensively, the Stock Exchange was as good as ever

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When the Celts are getting and efficient 60 points from their two best players and then you add an efficient 42 points from the starting backcourt, no opposing team is equipped with enough firepower to counter that. It wasn't just the 10 combined 3PM, it was how they were perfectly blended with an elite inside/out approach. White started early attacking with his floater, and then once he caught a rhythm it was time for C&S 3PA which usually leads to makes. With Holiday he maximized his corner 3PA which is one of the best shots in the entire league. 

All while giving you All NBA level defense on the other end. What a blessing it is to have both of these guys in the same backcourt.

- Try and hold back a smile looking at this picture. You can't

- If the Celts are going to defend at a high level, shoot at a high level, and ALSO handle the margins at a high level, I am confident in saying they are unbeatable.

For a team like this and a season like this, it's all about the margins. Low TOs (3), they won the rebounding battle 40-34 and only allowed 5 OREB, they played harder, they made their FTs (7-8), they won the 2nd chance points battle, they won the fastbreak points battle, they closed quarters strong, they didn't settle and get comfortable after building a big lead.

The Celts crushed the margins in this game, and as a result, crushed their opponent.

- Another beautiful two way performance from Jaylen, who not only finished 5-9 from deep, but also 4-4 from the FT line. Where I come from, we call that progress!

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- Fuck it, here's Al Horford getting his ring because hell yeah

The Bad

- Now just because this was your typical Celtics blowout doesn't mean it was all gravy for the full 48 minutes. One thing that stood out early to me is without KP, I do think the Celts need to be aware of the fact that everyone is going to attack Horford in  space. He has lifetime immunity of course, but given his age it was pretty obvious he had some issues staying with quicker guards off the dribble.

While you expect that, the same was true once Tillman came in. I'm not saying this is a disaster by any means, but if you're looking at ways the Celts could become vulnerable, I didn't exactly love how they handled the Knicks drives and preventing rim pressure. It's going to be something they have to navigate until Porzingis is back and can protect the back line, but I thought the Knicks did a decent job exploiting that matchup early in the game. Sadly those 2s didn't matter as the game went on since the Celts were burying 3s, but it was noticeable.

- At first I was sad TNT was losing the NBA, but after the shit they pulled on Ring Night I'm glad it's happening now. What the fuck was that camera angle change when Horford was getting his ring so we couldn't see it? And how about going to a commercial RIGHT as the banner was going up? No big deal, we've only been waiting for 16 years for this moment you assholes. 

Just a complete disaster of a performance on the biggest night of the season for the greatest franchise in the league's history. Show some respect for me one time. TNT can go to hell for that.

- Not the best non-Tatum minutes to start the 2nd quarter. All this talk about how Tatum isn't their best player and blah blah blah, well I think those minutes were a great example of why that is absolutely not the case. Stalled offense, poor shot selection, some spotty defense, the Celts are going to have to make sure they don't turn into the Nuggets where the second Jokic steps off the floor everything goes to shit.

It didn't reach that level last nigh, but it certainly wasn't what I would call "good".

The Ugly

- I thought about making a new rule and bypassing this section on a Banner Night, but given what we saw from the bench down the stretch in the 4th quarter where they went 0-1 billion from deep trying to set the record, my hands are tied

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I mean come on, 13 straight missed 3s is very funny. I'm sure there will be some that hate on this approach, but I say grow up and have some fun. The Celts were up 30+, you go for the record. To be as hot as they were all game only to miss every single 3PA they took to break the record is easily one of the funniest things we've ever seen them do, and as fun as setting the record would have been, I think I like this more? Just embarrassingly terrible. I was certain Jordan Walsh's 3PA was going to drop, and he missed by about 50 feet. Your classic this is so bad it's actually funny moments and in my opinion, it was a hilarious way to end this ass kicking.

And with that, the new journey up the mountain is underway. My guess is things will be harder over the course of the 82 game schedule…..but maybe not. All I know is it was great to see the champs back on the floor blowing doors off the competition just like we saw them do for 100+ games on their way to Banner 18. If they keep this up, it's not hard to imagine Banner 19 is on the way.