For the primary time since 2009, the Celtics will start their season with a banner being raised to the rafters and the gamers receiving their 2024 Championship rings. After that, they must get right down to enterprise as they face the retooled New York Knicks of their season opener. With the addition of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Cities, the Knicks are being touted as the largest risk to a repeat championship for the Celtics.
Final season, the Celtics led the collection between these two groups, successful 4 video games and shedding only one. Within the preseason, each groups went 4-1, successful the primary 4 video games and shedding the ultimate recreation by 1 level. They are going to face one another 4 instances this season starting with their season opener. They will even meet on February 9, February 23, and April 8. The Celtics are 304-190 total all time vs the Knicks and they’re 164-68 in video games performed at house.
The Knicks made strikes this offseason with the objective of matching up higher with the Celtics. In Mikal Bridges, the Knicks added a wing defender who can counter the Celtics All Star wings and who also can unfold the ground. He additionally provides chemistry with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart who gained a championship in 2016 with Villanova. With the addition of Karl-Anthony Cities, they’ve addressed their weak point at middle. Cities can match up with the Celtics facilities and also can hit the three, having gained the three level contest in 2022.
The one query concerning the Knicks new roster is their depth. Having misplaced Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop, Alec Burks, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks roster is at simply 12 gamers. They’re onerous capped and simply 3.58 million beneath the 2nd apron. Their roster may be beneath 14 gamers for simply 28 days over the season and not more than 14 days at a time. It has been rumored that they might go after Lonnie Walker IV after the Celtics waived him. or, they might convert a 2 method contract to the common roster.
The Celtics will likely be with out Kristaps Porzingis who’s recovering from ankle surgical procedure within the off season and isn’t anticipated again till a while in December. For the Knicks, middle Mitchell Robinson is out till at the very least December after two procedures on his left ankle. Again up middle Treasured Achiuwa injured his hamstring within the last preseason recreation and will likely be reevaluated in 2-4 weeks. Two Approach participant Kevin McCullar, Jr (knee) can also be out for this recreation.
Possible Celtics Starters
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PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Jaylen BrownPF: Jayson TatumC: Al Horford
Celtics ReservesSam HauserLuke KornetPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanJaden SpringerXavier Tillman, SrJordan Walsh
2 Approach PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonAnton Watson
Accidents/OutKristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Possible Knicks Starters
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PG: Jalen BrunsonSG: Mikal BridgesSF: Josh HartPF: OG AnunobyC: Karl-Anthony Cities
Knicks ReservesPacome DadietCameron PayneMiles McBrideTyler KolekJericho Sims
2 Approach PlayersJacob Toppin Kevin McCullar, JrAriel Hukporti
Accidents/Out Treasured Achiuwa (hamstring) outMitchell Robinson (ankle) out Kevin McCullar, Jr (knee) out
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau
Key Matchups
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Jrue Vacation
Photograph by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE through Getty Pictures
Jalen Brunson
Photograph by Evan Bernstein/Getty Pictures
Jrue Vacation vs Jalen BrunsonKnicks’ All Star Jalen Brunson was fifth in MVP voting final season. Final season he averaged 28.7 factors, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists whereas capturing 47.9% from the sector and 40.1% from past the arc. Within the preseason, in 22.7 mpg, he averaged 21.5 factors, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists whereas capturing 57% from the sector and 43.8% from past the arc. This must be matchup.
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Al Horford
Photograph by Adam Glanzman/Getty Pictures
Karl-Anthony Cities
Photograph by Scott Taetsch/Getty Pictures
Al Horford vs Karl-Anthony Cities Cities will give the Knicks a robust presence within the paint together with the flexibility to unfold the ground. Final season, Cities averaged 21.8 factors, 8.3 rebounds, and three.0 assists. He shot 50.4% from the sector and 41.6% from past the arc. Within the preseason, he averaged 18.3 factors, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per recreation. He struggled together with his shot, capturing simply 37.5% from the sector and 17.4% from past the arc. Luke Kornet began 4 of the 5 video games within the preseason for the Celtics and should begin this recreation, however I’m guessing that Horford will get the beginning.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Mikal Bridges The Knicks are hoping that Bridges will give them a leg up towards the Celtics. He is an efficient 2 method participant who can decelerate the Celtics star wings and in addition make them work on the defensive finish. Final season, Bridges averaged 19.6 factors, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1 steal per recreation. He shot 43.6% from the sector and 37.2% from past the arc. Within the preseason, like Cities, he struggled together with his shot and averaged 10.8 factors, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists whereas capturing 41% from the sector and simply 10.5% from past the arc.
Keys to the Sport Protection – Protection is the important thing to successful each recreation. Within the preseason, the Celtics had been 2nd with 121.8 factors per recreation whereas the Knicks had been seventh with 114.2 factors per recreation. The Celtics has a defensive score of 104.6 (twelfth) whereas the Knicks has a defensive score of 102.5 (eighth). The Knicks introduced in gamers within the off season to spice up their protection. The Celtics’ protection final season was prime 2 and they should make protection a precedence once more this season in the event that they hope to repeat as champions.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t rating in the event that they don’t have the ball, and one of the simplest ways to get the ball is the seize rebounds. The Celtics must rebound as a workforce with each Celtic battling on the boards. The Celtics had been seventeenth within the preseason with 45.6 rebounds per recreation whereas the Knicks had been twelfth within the preseason with 46.8 rebounds per recreation. Rebounding takes effort and so the Celtics must put out extra effort to beat the Knicks on the boards.
3 Level Capturing – The Celtics led the league in 3 pointers tried per recreation final season and upped their 3 level recreation within the preseason, taking 52.6 threes per recreation. The Knicks had been twelfth taking 41 threes per recreation. When the Celtics are hitting their 3’s, they’re robust to beat. However, when their threes aren’t falling, then they wrestle and provides the opponent an edge. If the threes aren’t falling, they should get into the paint to attain in different methods.
Depth and Chemistry – The Celtics introduced again just about the identical workforce as they fielded final season Whereas the Knicks overhauled their roster to attempt to match up higher with the Celtics. The Celtics are a deep workforce they usually have had 2 years underneath Joe Mazzulla to develop chemistry, get comfy of their roles, and turn out to be a effectively oiled machine. The Knicks, however are incorporating 2 new gamers into their beginning lineup and are nonetheless engaged on their chemistry. Additionally, their depth took a success once they made the trades and so the Celtics 2nd unit ought to have a bonus.
X-Elements Ring Evening – The Celtics will likely be getting their rings and elevating Banner 18 to the rafters earlier than the sport. They are going to be excited and probably distracted. Alternatively, the Knicks are available in hungry and centered on beating the Celtics this season and getting their very own rings a 12 months from now. Will the Celtics be capable of put the joy of getting their rings and hanging the banner behind them and deal with the sport?
Dwelling Sport – Each groups are effectively rested, though the Celtics have been off every week whereas the Knicks have simply been off since Friday. The Celtics must reap the benefits of house courtroom and the enhance their followers may give them. The Knicks will face a hostile crowd and an unfamiliar enviornment together with journey which can hopefully give the Celtics the sting.
Officiating – Officiating all the time has the potential to be an x-factor. Every officiating crew calls the sport in a different way. Some refs name it tight and consistently name fouls whereas others allow them to play with few fouls known as. The Celtics want to regulate to how the refs are calling the sport and never enable unhealthy calls or no calls to remove their focus. The Celtics can’t afford to permit the opposite workforce to go on taking part in whereas Celtics gamers are hanging again and complaining about calls.
