BOSTON (WHDH) - The Boston Celtics are bracing for a stiff challenge against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks Friday night in their home opener, looking to bounce back from a disappointing season-opening loss in Detroit against the Pistons.
The Celtics blew a 22-point lead in their first game of the season Tuesday afternoon, losing 121-133. The collapse spoiled a magnificent debut from Paul George, who scored 38 points, the most by a Celtic in his debut. The nine-time All-Star, in his 17th season, showed he’s still got it in his first game with the Celtics since he was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jaylen Brown.
“I don’t think it’s concerning, it’s the first game of 82 so, I mean, there’s definitely going to be kinks that we’re going to have to work out, and obviously we ran into a few things last game, but I don’t think we’re concerned. I think we showed flashes of being really, really good, and then flashes of area where we need to improve,” said Celtics Forward Sam Hauser.
Now on their home turf at TD Garden, the team is looking to come out with their first win of the season against a talented Knicks team.
“Obviously super talented team, have a lot of guys on the floor that can beat you. I think it comes down to the discipline of guarding for 24 seconds,” said Celtics Guard Baylor Scheierman.
Mitchell Robinson said he is focused on getting on track, and not putting any extra emphasis on facing the team he spent the first eight years of his career with before relocating to Boston over the summer.
“I mean, we’re obviously going to go through adversity at times, I mean it’s game one, got 81 games now. I mean we got a lot of room to grow and learn each other, but, I mean, obviously better to do it sooner than later,” said Celtics Center-Forward Mitchell Robinson. “Ain’t really matter that I’m playing my former team, it’s moreso just, you know, trying to bounce back from what happened two nights ago. At the end of the day, it’s basketball, this is a business and…you got to play the team, that’s how you play any other team.”
Regardless of how Friday night’s game plays out, Head Coach Joe Mazzulla stressed it’s more important to maintain a proper perspective this early in the season.
“I don’t want us to be, feel a certain type of way after a win as you do after a loss, it’s all the same, and you have to be able to process possessions of that game, so it’s really more about the consistency of the approach, not the feeling of the result,” Mazzulla said. “We just have to maintain the consistency of the approach to the process and continue to go through that.”
The Knicks also lost their first game on Tuesday to the 76ers, 106-100. Friday’s game gets underway at 7 p.m.
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