Knicks aim to avoid being distracted by Celtics' ring ceremony as they visit Boston for season opener
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drives past Celtics forward Jayson Tatum during the first half of an NBA game on April 11 in Boston. Credit: AP/Steven Senne
BOSTON — For the Boston Celtics, Tuesday night will be a special occasion. It’s a night when the defending NBA champions will see another banner raised to the rafters at TD Garden with a ring ceremony held before the game as a new season tips off.
But for the Knicks, it is a business trip, a night that could serve as the first attempt at a measuring stick against the class of the league. But it’s a night when they will want to ignore the festivities and focus on their own task and team.
“To me it’s like, there’s situations like that all the time, whether it’s a ring ceremony or they’re honoring a team,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So you’ve dealt with that. Any time it’s going to be extended, you’re going to decide whether you’re going to stay in the locker room, do film, whatever, it’s all part of the league.
“The important thing is to understand don’t get distracted. That’s their thing. What we have to do is we have to be ready to play. When they say the ball is going up at this time, we have to be ready to play when that thing goes up. So that’s all I want us to lock into. I really don’t care what they’re doing. I’m focused on what we’re doing.”
Avoiding distractions is simple, by retreating to the locker room to watch film and ignore the ceremony. But when the Knicks take the floor, they can’t ignore that for all of the high hopes built up through the successes of the last two seasons, this type of event is what they hope to be a part of themselves.
And to get there, they will have to go through the Celtics. Tuesday night’s game not only is a made-for-television event but an early measuring stick of just how far this revamped roster can go.
“I think we’re just trying to be the best team we can be,” Mikal Bridges said. “I think us being here helps us on both sides. So just doing whatever it takes to win, and being here helps.
“You got a lot of games, but I think it’s a great challenge for a team like that. But I feel like they’re motivated. With the coaches and the guys, coming off a championship, I feel like they’re still very motivated and maybe feel slightly disrespected in a way. So I know they’re ready. And it’s a great challenge for us.”
“I mean, obviously, you’re playing a great team tomorrow,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
“We’ve just got to continue to worry about us first. So go out there and make sure we’re executing our game plans and executing at a high level and utilizing the practices and preseason games we’ve had to help our team get better. I think everything starts with us worrying about how we can execute first.”
Injuries have shortened the Knicks’ bench. Precious Achiuwa and Landry Shamet were members of the projected rotation but got hurt in the preseason, and Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined for at least the first two months. Add to that the fact that players are still acclimating to their roles.
“For us, I want our players sticking to their routine,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s important. I think if you get caught up in the hoopla, you’re getting away from what’s really important — being mentally ready to play, emotionally ready to play, physically ready to play.
“So I think that’s the important thing: Just lock into what we have to do.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
