Paul George didn’t need long to make Boston feel the payoff.
Just two games into the season, the Celtics have already seen both versions of him: the explosive scorer who lit up Detroit on Opening Day, and the all-around problem who still swung the game against New York even without a huge scoring night. For a player who drew plenty of backlash when Boston traded for him, that’s a strong start to winning people over.
His debut against the Pistons was the loudest statement. George caught even his most optimistic believers off guard with how sharp he looked, and while Boston lost, his production made the result sting that much more. It may be hard to expect him to keep scoring at that level every night, but the game showed he can still take over in a hurry.
Against the Knicks, the numbers weren’t as flashy, but the impact was there all the same. George hit buzzer-beating threes, knocked down timely shots to keep New York at bay, and wreaked havoc defensively with all those turnovers he forced. His presence was impossible to miss.
That’s the bigger point here: he doesn’t have to score 38 to change a game.
Boston would gladly take more nights like Detroit from George, but the New York game showed his value stretches far beyond pure scoring. His instincts on defense stood out, and so did his playmaking on that end of the floor.
The Knicks had trouble handling how active he was. He also added three made threes, and even if Jayson Tatum finished the job late, George helped make sure the comeback never fully got there.
Fifteen points won’t jump off the page, but Boston still came away with a needed win this early in the year against the reigning NBA champions and one of the league’s best teams. In that kind of result, George deserves his share of the credit.
Sure, there will be nights when the shot isn’t there. He’ll have games where nothing drops.
But two games in, he’s already shown exactly why Boston wanted him: when he’s not stuffing the box score, he’s still tilting the floor in the Celtics’ favor. That makes them a much tougher team to deal with.
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Celtics Just Exposed A Knicks Problem Fans Know Too Well
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Mikal Bridges early offensive slump has only made the margin for error thinner, especially when the Knicks are already struggling to play with urgency. Boston took advantage of those empty possessions and unsteady stretches, turning New Yorks inconsistency into the kind of game that leaves the Knicks searching for answers before the season has even really begun. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Got The Win They Needed And Sparked A Rotation Debate
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Quetas impact in the third quarter helped Boston seize momentum, giving the Celtics a different look in the frontcourt and adding energy on the glass and around the rim when the game was hanging in the balance. On the other side, Mitchell Robinson never found a steady rhythm for New York as foul trouble and an uneven outing limited his influence, and that contrast is likely to fuel the rotation conversation coming out of a win Boston badly needed. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Escaped A Scare After One Knicks Reserve Caught Fire
The Celtics finally got into the win column, but it took a real fight to do it in a 107-103 victory over the Knicks at TD Garden. Boston had enough answers in the end, yet New York kept hanging around for much of the night thanks in large part to Deuce McBride, who gave the Celtics all kinds of trouble with his shot-making off the bench and helped keep the game tight deep into the fourth quarter.
Bostons late-game edge still showed up when it mattered most, with Jayson Tatum steadying the offense as the margin shrank. The Celtics needed those baskets to protect a lead that never felt fully safe, and the scare served as an early reminder that even a home opener against a division foe can turn into a grind before the final horn. [Read more 🡒]