But still, Knicks fans will find reason to believe. That’s the way it is when you still have a “1952 Eastern Division champion’’ flag hanging from your rafters. You cling to anything.
Opening Day evaluations are ever-flawed and it’s impossible to measure the Celtics when Pierce is wearing a Wall Street suit. But this was better for the Celtics than we thought it would be.
They shot 51 percent from the floor. They outrebounded the Knicks, 41-31. That effected a 27-point turnaround. Reserve forward Brandon Bass (20 points, 11 rebounds) looked like an upgrade from Big Baby, and Rajon Rondo (31 points, 13 assists) reminded you why you’re glad he wasn’t traded.
“I thought we played well,’’ said coach Doc Rivers. “There were some breakdowns overall, but for two teams that didn’t have a lot of practice, both teams shot the ball extremely well. I was pretty happy with us.’’
The last time the Celtics played here on Dec. 25 was in 1985, when Kevin McHale skipped the team’s Christmas Eve flight, electing to spend Christmas morning with his wife and kids in Weston. While his teammates had breakfast in their Manhattan hotel, McHale opened presents with his children, then hopped the mid-morning shuttle from Logan to LaGuardia.
The Celtics wound up blowing a 25-point lead, losing to the Knicks in double overtime, on national television. It was considered a turning point in the championship season, which precipitated the Big Green Drought from 1986-2008.
Those were the days when the Celtics took no prisoners and the Knicks knew they were inferior. Not anymore. Now they have Tyson Chandler to go with ball-hog Carmelo Anthony (37 points) and Amar’e Stoudemire (21), there is local hope that the Knicks have vaulted past their traditional tormentors from Boston.
