The Celtics Opening Their Season Against The Knicks Is The Perfect Early Test On Their Quest To Banner 19

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

And we're off! Please set the countdown to 71 days until the 2024-25 NBA season kicks off and we all finally get to see the 18th banner be raised to the rafters. I've been thinking about this moment pretty much every day since the clock hit 0.0 on June 17th, and I already cannot wait to morph into Paul Pierce in 2008 watching the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics receive their rings and put a stamp on one of the greatest NBA seasons the league has ever witnessed (fact not opinion, you can look it up)

In terms of their opponent for Opening Night, I don't really consider it to be all that surprising. You knew it was going to be one of the NYK/MIL/PHI/MIA group, and seeing as how many consider the Knicks will be the best of those four teams this shouldn't surprise anyone. It will also now mark the 3rd time in 4 years that BOS/NYK will be the first game on the Celts' schedule. In all honesty, their games are usually electric as hell, with each of the last two coming at MSG.

There was the double OT thriller in 2021-22 that the Knicks won

and then last year's matchup where Kristaps Porzingis in his Celtics debut (30 points) put both the Knicks and every Knicks fan through absolute hell in the Celts win

Of all the potential Opening Night options, the Knicks make the most sense to me. They loaded up this summer, they have all the offseason hype as a team that won the offseason and can be a true contender, their games are usually tough battles loaded with excitement and drama, and you get the MA/NY rivalry. Granted the Celtics won 4 out of the 5 matchups between these two last season with the Knicks only winning the game on April 11th and the Celts just looking to end the year healthy, but with a healthy Randle and their offseason moves this obviously will look much different come October. Add in the no KP factor and it should be a great game.

I also love the choice because it forces the Celts to be mentally focused right from the jump. While some may have preferred an easy matchup for Banner Night, not me. I want the challenge. I want the pressure. One of the biggest things the Celts will be fighting all year in their quest to repeat at champs is fighting complacency. You don't think the Knicks are going to be motivated to spoil their ring/banner night? It's going to require everyone to be ready to go and focused starting Game 1, and I consider that to be a good thing. What better way to make a statement than to once again kick the shit out of the Knicks after all the hype they're going to have heading into this game/season? 

It's a perfect opportunity to remind them and the world who the champs actually are, and that things in both the East and the NBA go through Boston for the foreseeable future. 

In terms of LAL/MIN, whatever I guess. No surprise LeBron is kicking things off and it's not like the Wolves are a bad choice given how good they are and the star power of Ant. It may not have the same type of juice as BOS/NYK and maybe it's a little surprising they didn't go DEN/MIN or DAL/MIN, or DAL/OKC but at the end of the day, the LeBron factor trumps all.