The quest for banner 19 continues for the Boston Celtics as they enter the 2026-2027 NBA season.
Boston is 1-1 after their first two games, and there has been a lot of talk about the Jaylen Brown-less team. Jayson Tatum and Paul George are the new Batman and Robin in the city of champions and have both had their moments so far in this young season.
Let’s break down the first two games and overreact to the first 96 minutes of Celtics basketball.
Game one of the season kicked off on Tuesday afternoon in Detroit. The Celtics got off to a hot start against the Pistons, taking a 13-point lead into halftime. The lead grew to as much as 22 before the Pistons started rallying back in the Motor City.
Detroit outscored the Celtics 39-25 in the fourth, including a 23-0 run to take home a 121-113 victory. Coach Joe Mazzulla was late with timeout management, allowing the Pistons to continue their run. This has been a problem for years, and concerns for Celtics fans continue to grow.
One bright spot of the opening day game is the play of George. The nine-time all-star had 38 points with seven 3-pointers. George also swiped five steals in the loss. A lot was made about him being the main return in the Brown trade, but he showed his worth in game one. If he can keep up a consistent level of play, Boston will be a contender in the East.
Now let’s talk about Tatum. His performance in game one drew criticism as the star scored just 13 points on 6/23 shooting. He had some poor shot selections late in the game while the Celtics were trying to mount a comeback of their own. His 11 assists are something Celtics fans can leave happy with as Tatum continues to be one of the best playmaking wings in the league.
The 2024 NBA Champion responded to all of his naysayers Friday night against the defending champion New York Knicks.
Tatum had 36 points on 14/26 shooting and took over in the fourth quarter. He hit multiple tough buckets in the final two minutes, including a dagger 3-pointer over Karl- Anthony –Towns.
Another player who made a big impact on Friday was Neemias Queta. The Portuguese big man had 15 points and three blocks in 22 minutes off the bench. He will be a vital piece off the bench with Boston signing Mitchell Robinson in the offseason.
George had just 15, which means that we are yet to see him, and Tatum both put together a complete game at the same time. You cannot rely on either of them to go for 35 or more each game and expect that to be sustainable over an 82-game season. Once their chemistry builds, it could be a great season in Boston.
The Celtics have two matchups against Chicago, a matchup versus Brooklyn and then a game with the Paolo Banchero-less Magic to round out October. These games give Mazzulla and the team a chance to figure out their potential rust issues before this marathon of a season takes off.