Josh Hart caught the pass and pulled up for three in transition.
Clang!
Another miss!
The ball bounced off the rim again.
Brother Xueyou's shot seemed a little off to start the night.
Both of his attempts had been good scoring chances, but he had failed to capitalize on either one.
Porzingis secured the rebound again and passed to Holiday.
Holiday pushed the ball upcourt and hit Tatum, who was streaking down the other side.
Tatum caught it and drove inside the three-point line. On the move, he performed a Behind-the-Back Crossover, then pounded the ball and wrapped it around his waist.
As he gathered, he slipped past Toppin with a quick hop step, jumped off one foot, and finished a finger roll after switching hands.
Jayson Tatum had made his presence felt on consecutive possessions to open the game.
And Tutu's value to the Celtics went well beyond scoring.
He was excellent in one-on-one defense and help defense, could facilitate the offense, and had outstanding athleticism and above-average ballhandling.
Tatum was undoubtedly one of the best power-forward models of the Small-Ball Era.
He was the true centerpiece of this star-studded Celtics team.
The score reached 10–2.
The Celtics had opened the game in complete comfort.
Their exceptional offensive efficiency had given them an easy lead.
Perhaps this was the basketball this Celtics team was meant to play, the pace they liked best.
What made them so formidable was that every player could handle the ball, initiate an attack, and look for ways to set up a teammate.
They could operate independently yet still work together seamlessly. The result was a frightening amount of firepower.
At least in this opening run, they had put more pressure on the Knicks than even the Nets had.
The Knicks got the ball