4 Observations from the Celtics' devastating first half vs. the Knicks

Friday night’s trip to Madison Square Garden is going just about as badly for the Boston Celtics as the last time that they visited the New York Knicks. After an absolute onslaught by the Knicks in the second quarter, Boston finds themselves down 20 points at halftime.

Here's what I've noticed.

KAT Remains The Worst

The first five or so minutes of this game were a tremendous reminder of how insufferable Karl-Anthony Towns is to watch. He is a LeBron James-level whiner. He failed to finish two drivers to the basket early on, and you can bet your bottom dollar that he threw his palms up to the sky in search of a whistle both times.

To make matters worse, he’s been the driving force in New York’s offense so far. At the break, Towns has tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Hugo is Here

A more welcome sight was Hugo Gonzalez’s NBA debut. After making his way to the scorer's table, only to not get subbed in on Wednesday, the Spanish rookie found his way onto the Madison Square Garden floor on Friday.

He welcomed himself to the NBA with a sweet lefty scoop shot off the glass to finish on a drive to the cup. What’s been more impressive is that:

1. He’s spent the majority of his minutes defending Knicks star Jalen Brunson
2. Joe Mazzulla trusted him to defend Jalen Brunson

Gonzalez fared well. He didn’t get baited into any silly fouls and actually had the Knicks setting screens to get him off of Brunson.

Impressive stuff from the rook.

Adam Silver is Reeling

A non-basketball highlight of this first half was Amazon interviewing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the beginning of the second quarter. Cassidy Hubarth asked Silver about the FBI’s ongoing investigation into illegal gambling accusations of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier.

Silver looked like he got hit with a flashbang. He just kind of rambled and gave broad, safe responses.

Unfortunately, the commissioner’s presence on my TV directly led to an 11-0 Knicks run.

The Celtics Might Be In Real Trouble

Speaking of things that led to the Knicks being up in this game, it appears that rebounding is going to be a consistent trial for this Celtics team. New York has been able to create several extra possessions just by hitting the glass hard.

They’ve also forced their fair share of Boston turnovers, which they’ve turned into 11 points. It’s pretty tough to win games when you’re the less-talented team. It’s even harder when you get beaten this badly on the margins.

This second quarter may be the most brutal stretch of Celtics basketball I've watched in years, literally. It might be a long year, folks.