The Boston Celtics will start their quest for back-to-back NBA championships Tuesday after they tip off the 2024-25 season in opposition to the visiting New York Knicks.
Boston defeated Dallas in 5 video games to assert the 2023-24 championship. The Celtics have not received consecutive titles since 1967-68 and 1968-69.
“We wish to win a championship each single 12 months — that is the aim, that is the usual, that is the expectation,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “Simply because one thing labored earlier than doesn’t suggest it will work once more. That is the problem.”
The Celtics return their prime 11 scorers from final 12 months’s staff, which had an NBA-best 64-18 document within the common season after which went 16-3 within the playoffs en path to the franchise’s 18th championship.
The Knicks received 50 video games within the common season a 12 months in the past and earned the No. 2 seed within the Jap Convention however got here up brief in opposition to Indiana in Sport 7 of the convention semifinals. New York hasn’t reached the convention finals since 2000 and hasn’t received an NBA championship since 1973.
New York made some important offseason strikes, certainly one of which was sending ahead Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in change for ahead Karl-Anthony Cities. New York additionally acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.
“We won’t simply be fearful about one staff,” Cities mentioned. “We have got to be fearful about the entire Jap Convention. To perform what we wish to do, and what the town is craving for us to do, we should be a staff not simply that beats Boston, however finds a strategy to beat each staff within the East.”
Bridges will be part of Jalen Brunson within the Knicks’ backcourt. Brunson completed fifth in MVP voting final season, when he averaged 28.7 factors per recreation throughout his first All-Star season.
Boston is led by five-time All-Star Jayson Tatum, who averaged 26.9 factors, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 74 video games final season.
New York heart Valuable Achiuwa will not be obtainable Tuesday due to a strained left hamstring. The staff introduced that he might be re-evaluated in two to 4 weeks. Achiuwa was injured throughout Friday’s preseason recreation in opposition to Washington.
New York may also be with out heart Mitchell Robinson, who’s recovering from two ankle surgical procedures he underwent within the final 12 months. In line with ESPN, Robinson will not be obtainable till January.
Boston heart Kristaps Porzingis had surgical procedure on his left leg in late June and is predicted to overlook not less than the primary two months of the season. The Celtics had been 21-4 with out Porzingis within the lineup final season, when he averaged 20.1 factors in 57 video games. He spent his first three seasons within the NBA with the Knicks.
“Do we’ve got nice expertise? Sure,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Do we’ve got nice gamers? Sure. Do we’ve got an ideal basis? Sure. Is that this ’24-25 staff nice but? No, as a result of we have not been in a recreation. It simply takes time and each season is completely different and assuming that you simply’re simply going to … what’d we are saying earlier than? Doing this prior to now does not essentially imply that is going to work now.”
–Area Stage Media
