The Boston Celtics opened up the 2024-25 NBA season with a statement.
The Celtics dominated the New York Knicks, 132-109, posting an impressive championship defense against the team many NBA analysts believe are best suited to challenge Boston in the Eastern Conference.
Boston was scorching hot on offense, tying the NBA record for three-pointers with 29. The Celtics shot 29-61 (47.5%) from three and 50.5% from the field overall.
It wasn't a particularly impressive defensive performance by the Knicks, especially early on, when they let the Celtics get into a rhythm from three with some open looks.
But even in the second half, when the Knicks tightened their defense, the Celtics still hit some tough, contested, off-the-dribble three-pointers, with Knicks defenders in their faces.
After a Jaylen Brown three-pointer in the fourth quarter to push Boston's lead to 30, TNT analyst and Hall of Fame sharpshooter Reggie Miller made a comment that should ease Knicks fans' worries.
"All you can do is laugh," Miller said.
After TNT's Kevin Harlan said no NBA team could overcome the Celtics' shooting performance, Miller responded:
"You can put an All-Star team with the rest of the 29 teams, and they aren't beating the Celtics tonight."
Indeed, the Knicks shot 55% from the field, a mark that would typically keep them in most games.
It wasn't a perfect performance, by any means. As mentioned, the Knicks' defense was too lackadaisical early on and failed to contest some pull-up Boston threes. The Knicks' defensive rebounding was lax, and their offense became a big stagnant against the Celtics' defense.
But even when the Knicks strung together a few stops and made a few baskets in a row, the Celtics seemingly always answered with three-pointers. Many of them even came off offensive rebounds, deflating a Knicks team that had nearly gotten a stop.
The Knicks have plenty of work to do if they want to be considered contenders. But even with an A-plus performance, they probably couldn't have beaten the Celtics on this night.