Porzingis's Celtics Debut: Victory Over Knicks at MSG
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Debut last night, Donnie, for the Celtics in New York
00:08 against the New York Knicks.
00:09 Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena,
00:12 the site.
00:13 And it was a close game.
00:14 The Knicks had a lead in the fourth quarter
00:16 before Boston rallies.
00:18 A combined 64 points scored by Jason Tatum,
00:22 and not his normal sidekick, Jalen Brown,
00:24 the new acquisition for the Seas.
00:27 Kristaps Porzingis back in his former home inside MSG.
00:31 That's a sad face for James Dolan
00:33 as the Knicks get beat on opening night by 4, 108, 104.
00:38 Donnie, when we spoke yesterday previewing this opening
00:40 game for the Celtics and the Knickerbockers,
00:43 it was a 3 and 1/2 point spread in favor of Boston.
00:46 Hopefully, you got the number there.
00:48 Or if not, you pushed with a 4 point number at close
00:51 in favor of the Seas.
00:53 This is why I have the Celtics winning the Eastern Conference
00:55 here.
00:56 And it was just in a one night little taste test
00:59 that you got last night out of them.
01:01 If Porzingis is going to give you anything near what he gave
01:04 you last night in the garden, watch out for the Celtics.
01:06 Now granted, we'll find out where Jalen Brown is.
01:08 It's very hard to feed three mouths on an offensive side,
01:11 let alone we were just watching two last year with Brown
01:14 and Tatum going up against each other.
01:15 But the interesting part of Porzingis coming over
01:17 is we technically didn't know what we were going to get,
01:19 right?
01:20 How is he going to fit in with this team?
01:21 Can he play third fiddle?
01:22 He was aggressive last night in all type of this.
01:25 8 of 15 from the floor, but 5 of 9 from 3 point range,
01:28 and 9 of 10 from the free throw line,
01:30 and chipped in with four blocks here.
01:31 As I said, if you're getting anything near that out
01:34 of Porzingis for the rest of the season,
01:36 Celtics, they're going to take down the Eastern Conference.
01:38 It's one game, I get it.
01:39 But boy, oh boy, you got to be excited for your Celtics fans.
01:43 Certainly so.
01:43 That depth, that balance was huge.
01:46 Boston still has Al Horford.
01:47 He came off the bench last night and scored eight points.
01:51 But when you look at this new starting five for the Celtics,
01:54 you get a glimpse last night of what could be.
01:56 Jason Tatum, a double-double, 34 points, 11 boards.
02:00 Again, KP, 30 points in his Boston debut, but only 11,
02:06 Donnie, for Jalen Brown, the richest man in NBA history.
02:10 Are you already hitting Brad Stevens's line
02:13 to say, hey, maybe JB deserves to be traded out of Beantown?
02:18 I'm telling you right now, this is the longest saga
02:20 we've ever seen of a really good basketball player,
02:22 supposedly can't play with other good basketball players.
02:25 But when they do play with other good basketball players,
02:27 they're very good.
02:28 See where I'm going with that here?
02:29 There's no way they should be looking to trade him.
02:31 But my goodness, the NBA rumor mill
02:33 fires up on the first night of an 82-game season
02:36 where we've been talking about this like three
02:38 straight deadlines.
02:39 When do they move off of Jalen Brown
02:41 and what can you get from him?
02:42 But who's the winner here?
02:43 Jalen Brown could go and score his 11 points a game here
02:46 and go, check my bank account, man.
02:48 Who's the big winner right now?
02:50 That is a-- you look, it's not just the highest paid player
02:52 on the South, X or the East.
02:53 The highest paid player of all time in NBA history
02:56 is Jalen Brown.
02:57 And you look at the game last night, and you go, man,
02:59 I can't play here.
02:59 Where are you going?
03:00 Washington?
03:01 Where is he going to go?
03:02 A five-year deal worth $303.7 million, Jalen Brown is a OK.
03:10 If you have optimism, though, for the New York Knicks,
03:13 you lose by four, sure, in your own home stadium
03:16 on opening night.
03:17 But your two superstars were atrocious.
03:20 Jalen Brown last night, Donnie, 15 points, six--
03:23 or excuse me, Jalen Brunson, 15 points, six of 21 from the floor.
03:27 Julius Randle, five of 22 for only 14 points.
03:32 That's a combined 11 of 43 from the floor.
03:36 And the Knicks still only lost by four
03:38 and did push on that final four-point spread.
03:42 So entering night number three, after tonight,
03:44 when the Bucs and the Sixers enter the ring,
03:46 everybody will have played their opening game.
03:49 The Celtics, the favorites to win an NBA championship,
03:52 plus 370.
03:53 Milwaukee, 40 cents behind at plus 410.
03:57 (upbeat music)
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