In between almost every timeout, the jumbotron at Madison Square Garden flashed to another celebrity, ranging from Martha Stewart to Mary J. Blige, Carmelo Anthony, and even Dwight, who seemed to escape the confines of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to catch some Saturday night primetime hoops.
The game, a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview on a national stage, not only attracted stars but also brought out the best in the Boston Celtics.
“I think tonight, the Knicks brought the best out of us,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “They challenged us in more ways than one. I thought, if you go back and look, there were positives from each player.”
That there were.
Led by Jaylen Brown, who finished with a team-high 30 points, every Celtic that touched the dimly lit floor at MSG left their mark.
From the relentless scoring attack of Brown and Kristaps Porzingis to the clutch shots and six assists each from Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, pivotal plays by Al Horford in the fourth quarter, early rebounds from Sam Hauser, energetic plays by Payton Pritchard, and a “beautiful display of basketball” from Jayson Tatum, the Celtics looked every part of the team Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau made them out to be pregame.
“It’s a team that doesn’t have many holes,” Thibodeau said. “They have a great defense. They have rim protection. Their rebounding has become elite. Offensive, they have a number of guys that can break you down off the dribble. They’re really skilled. They can spread you out. They shoot the great three great. They play very efficiently.”
Thibodeau’s monologue about the Celtics lasted over a minute, but it can be summarized succinctly: the Celtics are really, really good.
Sure, it wasn’t always perfect. Boston had some defensive lapses, struggled on the glass at times, and fell prey to the typical momentum shifts inherent in the game. However, they always responded to every obstacle.
The result was Boston’s eighth consecutive win, as they extended their lead in the Eastern Conference to a commanding eight games. Boston’s lead in the East is bigger than the gap between the first seed and the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Boston finished the night shooting 46-of-81 (56.8%) from the field and 15-of-35 (42.9%) from distance. Twenty-seven of their 46 makes were assisted, marking the seventh consecutive game in which the Celtics shot at least 50% from the field and recorded at least 25 assists, their longest streak since 1988.
Despite shooting 66.7% in the first half, Boston struggled to pull away — until the third quarter, when ‘Mazzulla Ball’ took effect.”
Early in the third quarter, Tatum grabbed a rebound off a Precious Achiuwa miss and calmly pushed the pace before rising up for and drilling a 25-foot pull-up three over Josh Hart.
Thibodeau furiously threw his hands over his head and called for a timeout, while on the opposing bench, Mazzulla emphatically clapped and greeted his players as they returned to the bench.
Tatum’s triple was one of the nine Boston sank in the frame, and it was a barrage of three-pointers that gave Boston a 20-point lead that put the game out of reach, as Boston outscored New York 35-26 in the third quarter.
It feels like the Celtics have already embodied their new slogan, “Different Here,” but Saturday night served as another reminder of why it’s so fitting, as a perfect illustration of things clicking for Boston, from top to bottom.
“We have to give a lot of credit to our front office for putting this kind of team together,” Porzingis said postgame. “When the opportunity [was] presented for me, at least, I said, 'This is gonna work 100%.' This is gonna work, or we’re going to figure it out sooner or later. Overall, great players, but also great people, and that makes the team connect very easily.”
What Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front office have built is truly special. Saturday night once again demonstrated that Boston possesses an abundance of ways to win games, with a roster littered with weapons from top to bottom. The coaching staff deserves credit for this as well.
“That’s the beauty of our team. We have so many things that we can go to,” Porzingis said postgame. “Then, on top of that, not only do we have the answers for the coverages, but we have, like, five – seven different guys that can go off each night. So, you put those two things together, this is a headache, for sure.”
Saturday night’s 14-point win was a complete team effort. It marked Boston’s 25th victory by double-digits this season. The C's are beating their opponents by double-digits in 55.5% of their games.
Boston’s average point differential this season is 10.30, their highest since - you guessed it, 2008. Yet, the Celtics still feel there is room for improvement.
“Joe is really challenging us to continue to get better,” Horford said postgame. “This is a stretch of the season where we can really take it to another level, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
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