3 Keys to the Celtics beating the Knicks on Opening Night

With the preseason in the rearview mirror, the Boston Celtics will now turn their attention to Opening Night, where they’ll face their Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Knicks. 

The Knicks made significant strides in the offseason, re-signing OG Anunoby and acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, they lost Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Isaiah Hartenstein in the process.

With three dynamic scorers and their star point guard, Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have naturally become one of the greatest obstacles for the Celtics to overcome if they hope to win back-to-back championships. 

Here are the three keys to the Celtics defeating the Knicks on Opening Night: 

1. Containing Karl-Anthony Towns 

While the Knicks lost Hartenstein in free agency, adding Towns could prove to be a game-changer. And though they gave up Julius Randle and noted Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo, they gained one of the league’s most offensively versatile big men.

Towns has already shown flashes of brilliance in the Knicks' well-spaced offense, familiarizing himself with Jalen Brunson’s unique subtleties in the pick-n-roll. 

During Kristaps Porzingis' absence, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, and Neemias Queta will have to do their best to limit Towns on the perimeter. In all likelihood, even Jayson Tatum will contribute, given his stellar defense of Daniel Gafford in last year’s NBA Finals.

Thankfully, the Knicks only acquired Towns at the beginning of October, meaning there’s still a natural unfamiliarity with Tom Thibodeau and Brunson’s offense. 

2. The Stock Exchange 

Brunson is the force with which the Knicks offense gravitates around. Not only is he a terrific three-level scorer, but he’s a savvy ball handler who can generate a multitude of options for his teammates in the pick-n-roll.

Last year, the Knicks found tremendous success thanks in large part due to the unique personnel that their executive, Leon Rosem surrounded their point guard with. Josh Hart and DiVincenzo both played with Brunson at Villanova, Anunoby is an archetypical 3-and-D wing, and Hartenstein was a tremendous screener and offensive rebounder. 

The Knicks' aforementioned moves in the offseason might yield a better end-result than last season’s roster, but this team is drastically different. So different, that Brunson will need time to adjust to all the new moving parts. 

Stalwart defenders like Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, who have been affectionately dubbed the “Stock Exchange,” capitalize on subtle mistakes. Both Celtics guards will have the tall task of making Brunson’s life as difficult as they possibly can - a domino effect that will cascade across the Knicks’ offense. 

3. Three-Point Shooting 

The Celtics attempted an average of 52.6 three-pointers per game in the preseason. If they continued to do that in the regular season, it would shatter the 2018-19 Houston Rockets’ current record of 45.4 three-point attempts per game.

While the Celtics have a myriad of reliable three-point shooters, their poor shooting from beyond the arc is ultimately what cost them in their 119-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors in their final preseason game. 

Given the staggering number of threes they attempt, it’s difficult for the Celtics to recover from a poor shooting performance. So, accuracy is essential if the Celtics want to win their home opener.