Introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! To be honest, I did not know what to write about when I first opened up this blank blog template. October brings the MLB playoffs while the NFL season is in full swing and the NBA season is just getting tipped off, which as a result makes my head want to explode. October has to be the busiest month for sports, as it is a challenge to keep up with all three of them, but I feel like I have to prioritize one over the others when it comes to writing.
To begin, the Boston Celtics have been my favorite NBA team ever since I can remember. Over the course of the last few seasons I have really enjoyed watching Boston grow into a championship contender and then eventually winning it all in June after coming up short over the past few years. When it comes to sports, I had not been that happy and excited in quite some time as it almost brought tears to my eyes.
The Celtics are the most historic franchise in NBA History, winning 18 championships, the most by any team. My Papa Dawson truly started the Celtics fanfare. My grandpa watched players like Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek win championships in the 1950's and 60's. Transition two decades later and he was watching players like Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and Dennis Johnson win when they were battling Magic's Lakers in the 80's.
My love for the Celtics really began when I was young, as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were my childhood favorites. Kevin Garnett's number five green jersey was the first NBA jersey I owned, as I wore that thing everywhere I went. Whether it was watching games or out in public, I loved wearing the jersey. One year in Elementary school I even had a Boston Celtics themed Valentine's Day box, as seen above. From having posters up in the garage of previous Celtics teams to having two bricks from the old Boston Garden, there is just so much history surrounding the team that it is almost overwhelming.
So I say all of this to say that it is an honor and a privilege to carry on what my grandpa had started decades earlier, as I would not want it any other way. My grandpa, if alive today would be overjoyed that Boston won the championship in June, as I thought a lot about him when they won The Finals. To continue his fandom for the team is something that I carry with pride, as I love wearing Celtics green every chance I get.
Fast-forward to today, Jayson Tatum is my favorite player, as I think it is pretty cool that he grew up in the same state that I am from, Missouri. This past summer, I had the opportunity to stop by his High School, Chaminade Prep in St. Louis, MO, and take a few pictures. Yes, I know it may sound silly, but snapping a few pics outside of his high school gym and getting a picture in front of the school itself was so exciting. Not many NBA stars come out of my home state as I consider it to be a special thing that he ended up getting drafted onto my favorite team in 2017, what are the odds? The fact that his team, Chaminade Prep won state against Kickapoo High School in 2016 still blows my mind.
This introduction was not supposed to be this long, although I wanted to give you all the background story of why I like the Celtics so much and what started it all before jumping into the game itself. In my opinion there is nothing like Boston Celtics basketball, as the atmosphere is just different at TD Garden than at any other NBA arena.
Whether it is the the parquet floor, Lucky the Leprechaun at center court, the 18 banners hanging from the rafters, Red Auerbach's signature etched on the court, or the best PA announcer in the association, Eddie Palladino call out the player's names during introductions as well as after each made basket, the whole thing gives me goosebumps. The history of the Boston Celtics fascinates me so much, as I love learning more and more about the historic franchise and their rich history.
Having only been to Boston one time in my life, I was overjoyed when my family and I drove by the Garden. We could see the arena very clearly when driving over Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. The picture I took of TD Garden in my opinion turned out fantastic!
Although never having been to a game, it is the number one thing on my bucket list to go watch the Celtics play in Boston. When I watch a home game I can feel the passion the fans have as it is an amazing experience from my living room. The atmosphere is electric as I do not know how opposing teams go in there focused with all the crowd noise around them.
Below are my thoughts and notes from the opening game of the Celtics season, as the city of Boston was rocking with excitement on Opening Night! With this being said, I hope you all enjoy! Go Celtics!
Ernie Johnson, Shaq, Charles Barkley, and Kenny "The Jet" Smith were on the scene in Boston for both pregame and postgame coverage per usual for TNT broadcasts. The Inside the NBA guys are very fun to watch, as I believe the majority of basketball fans would agree with me on this one. Whether it be Shaq yelling "America, are you not entertained?", the guys racing to see who touches the board first in the studio, or Barkley and Shaq's disputes, I get a good laugh out of the crew.
The Boston Celtics received their championship rings and hung Banner 18 before taking on the new look New York Knicks at TD Garden. Former Celtics champions were there to take in the pre-game celebration, as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Cedric Maxwell, and Bob Cousy were all in attendance and were recognized.
Commissioner Adam Silver handed out the rings to Celtics front office members and coaches first. Then the players were announced, as everyone from Neemias Queta to Jayson Tatum were given their rings, as the crowd seemed to get louder each time a player came through the line. Meanwhile I was in my basement in front of the TV with my championship hat and Jayson Tatum jersey on clapping and jumping around... go figure. Afterwards, Jayson Tatum said a few words to the crowd including "Let's do it again." as his closing statement. The crowd roared in response as the banner was hung shortly before the opening tipoff.
Once the opening game of the season tipped off on TNT, Jayson Tatum was off to a blazing start, hitting the first basket of the season off a Derrick White assist, totaling 15 points in the 1st quarter. Tatum was hotter than fish grease, as his jump-shot that he worked on in the summer looked to be just fine, if not better. JT ended with 37 points on the night, shooting 78 percent from the field, including 73 percent from three, and was by far the best player on the parquet.
Derrick White was the second-leading scorer for Boston, as he found success in shooting the three-ball off some nice passes, resulting in a few assists. D-White ended the night knocking down six triples. Jaylen Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP was 7-18 from the field and found most of his success from the outside, making five three-pointers himself. The game was never in doubt, as Boston scored 74 points by halftime.
Although if there was one bright spot for New York, it was Miles McBride, scoring 22 points off the bench, as he and Jalen Brunson seemed to be the only Knicks that looked comfortable in the opener.
New acquisition Mikal Bridges struggled to find his shooting stroke early, although he did find more of a rhythm as the game went on. The Knicks trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzio to Minnesota in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns in my opinion really hurt their depth. Of course it is only one game, but New York obviously was trying to find some team chemistry during the opener, as I feel they will get better as the season goes on.
Three-pointers are something that I continue to bring up for Boston. Each member of the starting lineup hit at least three shots from downtown. As a result, the Celtics splashed 29 three-pointers, tying the NBA record in the process for made three's in a game and rode the crowd's momentum to a 23 point 132-109 Opening Night win. Boston looks primed for another run at Banner 19.
Adam's Three Takeaways:
Jayson Tatum looked about as great as I had ever seen him play, as I believe Steve Kerr benching him nearly for the entirely of the Olympics in the summer really got to him. Although only one game into the season, can Tatum reach another level? The Tatum Revenge Tour has begun.
The Knicks will improve and get better with time. They made some big changes to their roster over the summer. Developing team chemistry over the next few months will be crucial to see how far this team can go this season.
One game does not change much. Victory lapping after the opener in any sport is a crucial mistake in my opinion, as these teams still have a lot left to prove this season.
Now having come back to this article a week later after doing some more thinking and it being nearly early November by the time I publish this article, the Celtics are 4-1. Having just lost an overtime thriller to Indiana, they came all the way back from being down 24 points in the third quarter to force OT. Ultimately they fell short to a red-hot Pascal Siakam and Benedict Mathurin who combined for 59 points which led the Pacers to victory as Tatum and Brown could not get the three-ball to go down.
Despite the loss, Jayson Tatum was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 1, Payton Pritchard knocked down some huge shots over the first few games specifically against the Bucks, Jrue Holiday came up huge late in the win against Detroit, and Derrick White came up big for the team on the defensive end of the floor with some huge blocks in clutch time situations. With it still being early in the season, I have no doubt the C's with bounce back within the next few games.
Getting to watch every Celtics game is something I look forward to, as it is the highlight of my day. Watching the local Boston broadcasts is something that I think is so awesome!
As I mentioned in the introduction, I think of my Papa Dawson often when watching the Celtics and what he might say or how he would react during each game. Cheering a little louder for him when the team makes a big play or shot is something that I do quite often.
Final Thoughts: I hope you all enjoyed my Basketball Breakdown of the Celtics raising Banner 18 to the rafters. I look forward to writing updates about the team as the year progresses in hopes of them raising Banner 19 this season.
See you on the Parquet,
Adam
Kommentare