It was far from pretty, but the Celtics kicked off their 2023-24 campaign with a 108-104 victory over the New York Knicks. The growing pains of adapting to the new-look team were evident on Wednesday night, and, as expected in game one of a new season, the execution was far from perfect for the Celtics, especially on the offensive end.
Aside from Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 30 points on 8-of-15 (53.3%) shooting from the field and 5-of-9 (55.6%) from deep, and Jayson Tatum, who finished with 34 points on 13-of-22 (59.1%) shooting, the Celtics offense struggled to get things going.
The lack of ball movement was a driving factor. The ball was sticking for most of the night, as the C’s played a lot of iso ball.
Boston’s offense couldn’t get anything going when operating in the half-court. The C’s offense benefited from activity on the defensive end, but when the defense dropped off, the offense really had no answer.
Much has been made about the Celtics’ defense entering this season, and they were as advertised, suffocating the Knicks for a vast majority of the game. With Porzingis’ length in the interior and quick hands on the perimeter, the Celtics made things difficult for the Knicks.
However, it was much of the same issues that have plagued Boston in the past that allowed the Knicks to hang around. Shooting themselves in the foot by giving away possessions and second chances. The C’s turned the ball over 13 times, resulting in 14 points for the Knicks, and allowed 17 offensive rebounds, resulting in 20 second-chance points.
New York took advantage of Boston’s mistakes, and as Boston found themselves reeling to start the fourth, the Knicks took their first lead of the game at the 8:56 mark in the final frame.
For the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, the Celtics had as many turnovers as they did made buckets. It felt like watching the same movie you just can’t turn off -- The Celtics allowing their opponent to hang around, and then not being able to close them out.
But it was different this time. Trailing by six with 4:10 remaining in the game, the C's closed out the game on a 15-5 run, fueled by the newcomer Porzingis, who finished with nine of the 15 points over that stretch.
Despite all their mishaps, the Celtics overcame their mistakes and sneaked out a victory, something they couldn’t have done a season ago, as this almost certainly feels like a game they would have blown last year.
The way the Celtics battled and overcame, especially in the final five minutes is an encouraging sign, especially this early in the season.
The word “Mindset” is a word that has been used by Joe Mazzulla frequently. The second-year head coach noted pregame that a big difference between this year and last is that the team “has an identity.”
When asked what he wants the team’s identity to be, Mazzulla said, “Humility, mindset, toughness, passion, togetherness. Just be nasty.”
The Celtics checked all those boxes down the stretch, as they showed improvement in an area that has been their Achilles heel in years past.
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