The vibes are high in Boston, and understandably so, after they pulled out an impressive win over the defending champion Knicks on Friday night, 107-103. There were a lot of positive takeaways, and a lot of things that looked much improved from the opening-day debacle in Detroit, but there were still a few red flags.
And nothing was more concerning than seeing the Celtics get dominated on the glass for the second straight game tos tart the season, losing the rebounding battle, 57-44. They also pulled down just 10 offensive boards, while letting the Knicks grab 12.
Rebounding was a major point of emphasis last season and became a huge factor for the team, allowing them to win on the margins. It was quietly one of their biggest keys to success, and they doubled down on it in the offseason with the addition of Mitchell Robinson. Simply put, rebounding is supposed to be a massive edge for the team this season, and through two games, it has been the opposite.
The performance against Detroit was somewhat excusable. That’s a big, physical team that also likes to attack the margins. They took it to Boston, and the Celtics’ big-man duo of Neemias Queta and Robinson got outclassed. It happens.
Celtics shouldn't get spanked on the glass by Knicks
But both guys knew they needed to be better; everyone was fired up for the home opener on Friday night against the reigning champs, and they laid an egg. Yes, they got the win, and that’s all that matters, but this isn’t a New York roster that should be able to do this to Boston, especially with Mitch changing sides in the offseason.
Karl-Anthony Towns is a great rebounder, but he’s not the kind of imposing physical presence who likes to live around the basket, and his backup, Andre Drummond, played just 7 minutes. Instead, it was the energetic wings of the Knicks, outhustling the Celtics, as OG Anunoby had 10 rebounds (5 offensive boards) and Josh Hart had 12 (3 offensive).
Those extra opportunities kept the Knicks in the game and let them hang around, giving them a chance to steal this one at the end, if not for Jayson Tatum’s heroics. Mitch was better in this game, but 4 rebounds aren’t going to cut it. Nor is 6 for Queta. 10 combined boards for those two in 44 minutes is not what anyone signed up for, and that needs to improve.
I know it’s still an extremely small sample size, and as I said, the center duo was markedly improved overall in game two. But the Neemy-Mitch combo is supposed to help the Celtics win by smashing teams on the glass, and it would be nice to start seeing that.
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