The Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 108-104 at Madison Square Garden to open the 2023–24 season on a positive note.
In his first regular-season game donning Kelly green, Jrue Holiday took on the assignment of guarding former teammate Julius Randle, who the five-time All-Defensive Team selection is primarily responsible for limiting to 14 points on 22 shots. Holiday also registered nine points, four rebounds, three blocks, and two assists in the victory.
Post-game, the two-time All-Star said of his Celtics’ debut: “Felt good. (It was) definitely a good test. It was fun to go out there. Obviously, (it’s) fun to play at Madison Square Garden for your first game and feel this type of rivalry, so it was a good test for us.” In a contest that came down to the wire, with Boston struggling to find a rhythm offensively in the second half, then seeing the Knicks stage an 8-2 run in less than a minute, sending the world’s most famous arena into a frenzy as they claimed a 101-95 lead with 3:39 left.
But Kristaps Porzingis, whose 30 points were the most in a Celtics debut, buried a pair of late threes and went 6/6 at the free-throw line, helping the visitors rally to start the season 1-0.
When asked what he learned about his new team, Holiday conveyed the following. “Resilient; no matter if we’re down ten points with four minutes to go, we always have a chance. So, I think we kind of banded together, started executing on both ends of the floor, and got the necessary plays that we needed.”
The former UCLA Bruin added, “I do feel like our team has great guys, great character, so just a lot of poise. Nobody got rattled or shaken, and (we) went out there and executed and got the win.” He also wanted to remind people this newly formed group has considerable room for growth. “I think it’s only been a few weeks,” stated Holiday. “Obviously, KP had a great game being back here. But again, I think one of the things I’ll probably focus on is when we get those leads, being able to hold those leads. We know in this league, it’s very, very hard to hold a lead, no matter if it’s 20 points, but I think that’s gonna be a step in our execution. When we’re up on guys, being able to control the game.”
The former Milwaukee Buck also spoke on the subject of sacrifice, using Al Horford’s acceptance of the sixth-man position that he will frequently play this season as an example. It concerns what we can accomplish for the group. We are all in this together, wanting to win, regardless of who starts and who ends. Thus, in the end, winning is the only thing we truly want to accomplish and our only option.”
