The Celtics can't afford to play anything less than 48 minutes of good basketball this season.
“Different here” has been the Boston Celtics’ tagline for the past few seasons now, in allusion to the franchise’s high standards and history of championship success. Everyone knew it would have a different meaning going into this season, with the sheer amount of change the roster saw this summer.
Friday, reality set in.
Their 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks was the first time in years (excluding their Game 6 elimination at Madison Square Garden in the spring) that it felt like the Celtics were the inferior team.