2 Teams would have been better Celtics opponents than Knicks for Opening Night

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics will be playing the New York Knicks on Opening Night (October 22). It will be Boston’s ring night and they will hang up their 18th championship banner in franchise history.

The Celtics wrapped up their season last year with a Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The dates of their games against Dallas have also been revealed. They will head to Dallas on January 22 and welcome the Mavs to Boston on February 6.

But the season opener against the Knicks is the biggest news of the Celtics schedule so far. Obviously, their Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia 76ers is a big one, but ring night is even more special.

Heat or 76ers would have been better Celtics Opening Night opponents than Knicks

The question is, are the Knicks the best choice for an opponent? The answer? No, not really. There are two other teams who would have been more fun to play—the Miami Heat and 76ers.

Obviously, the Los Angeles Lakers would also fall under that category, but cross-conference matchups don’t really happen on Opening Night. So, that leaves teams in the East.

The Knicks are fine rivals for the Celtics from the perspective of the New York-Boston rivalry, but the two squads don’t really have a history. The Celtics have a history with the Heat and 76ers.

This current iteration of the Celtics has taken on the Heat in the playoffs time and time again, and they’ve split the battles pretty evenly. Going up against Miami on the night they get their rings would feel pretty sweet.

As for the 76ers, while Boston has dominated that matchup in recent years, the two sides still have a very strong rivalry. Like the Heat, it would feel nice for the Celtics to sport their new hardware in front of Joel Embiid and company.

Taking on New York on the first night of the season will be fun, and the team getting their rings was always going to be a great experience regardless of the opponent, but taking on the Heat or 76ers instead of the Knicks would have been better.

Instead, Jalen Brunson will be coming to town in hopes of spoiling the Celtics’ party.