Knicks 105, Celtics 95

 

Q: Can you lose the second quarter of a regulation NBA game, 42-14, and still win the game?

A: No.

Part of me wants to leave it at that, but part of me has some more to say. The Celtics outscored the Knicks three of the four quarters, starting 30-22 in the first quarter. They went 21-18 in the third and 30-23 in the fourth. But the wheels came completely off the cart in that second quarter, where they were outscored by 28 points, and there ain't no coming back from that.

Mr. Brown led the Celtics with 23 points. Mr. White was disappointing most of the game, but rallied late and finished the game with 15 points. Sam Houser had the hot hand with 18 points, including 6-of-10 on three-point shots. 

The breakout star of the game was Spain's Hugo González, playing in his first NBA game and scoring six points, snagging four rebounds, one assist, and two steals. But even beyond his numbers, his hustle was impressive - the dude was everywhere on the court. Watch González turn out to be the break-out star of the season.

The Knicks played well and with confidence - after all, they were the team that knocked the Celts out of the playoffs last season.  Kudos to the Celtics, though, for cutting a 20-plus deficit to finish the game back by ten. We were even at single digits at times in the fourth.

So Boston starts the season 0-2, but all's not lost (yet). First, an 0-2 start can easily be overcome, and second, if we can play like we did for three of the quarters and not that shitshow of a second quarter, we can still be competitive in this league.

Two lessons learned after two games: something's off with Mr. Brown. He's played listlessly and seems adrift, unfocused. He threw the ball away into the front row of seats late in the fourth and basically sealed New York's victory. Something's wrong. Second, play more González! He might be the spark plug Brown and the rest of the team need to get fired up. 

The Celtics travel to Detroit, that crown jewel of any vacation, for a game Sunday afternoon (3:30 pm).