The Boston Celtics beat the Knicks on Banner Night

The ceremony continued anyway. The players received their sparkling rings. Banner 18 was hoisted to the rafters. Then the game started and it became very clear that it had not been a distraction.

Instead, the Celtics simply picked up where they left off in June, bombarding the Knicks with 3-pointers and overwhelming them at every turn. Boston set an NBA record with 29 of 61 3-point shots and opened its title defense with a stunning 132-109 victory.

Pursuing this shooting record, however, turned out to be a bit complicated. With eight minutes left and the Celtics needing just one more 3-pointer for the record, they began to aim, and for the first time all night, they began to miss.

They finished the game by missing 13 straight 3-pointers, including three aerials, and the crowd urged them into the later stages of the chase by chanting “Another three!” With just over 30 seconds left and the outcome a foregone conclusion, Mazzulla signaled to his players to commit the shot clock violation, which led to some boos from the crowd as Al Horford raised his hands on the bench and called them for the stop prompted.

Aside from that strange ending, it was otherwise a feel-good night for Boston. Jayson Tatum had one of the best and most efficient games of his Celtics career. He made 14 of 18 shots and 8 of 11 three-pointers and scored 37 points and 10 assists in just 30 minutes. Derrick White hit 6 of 10 3-pointers and added 24 points.

On Tuesday morning, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said he believes teams will try to emulate the Celtics' approach this season, primarily shooting three-pointers from all angles. When this was communicated to Mazzulla before the game, he subtly pointed out that teams also need the right personnel to make this happen. The Celtics have mastered that part, and the first half of this game was a stark reminder of that.

Thirty-two of Boston's first 49 shots came from beyond the arc. On grisly shooting nights, this rate can cause a game to go wrong. But the Celtics generally don't have many of those, and they were outstanding on Tuesday. Eight Celtics scored three points in the first half, six of whom dropped at least two points.

Boston totaled 17 of 32 points, and Tatum did most of the heavy lifting. His recent struggles with distance shooting became noticeable, first in the playoffs and later during a limited role in the Olympics.

But since returning from Paris, he has adjusted his mechanics and noticeably reduced the hesitation in his shot. And the early returns in this game were encouraging. Just 13 seconds into the game, he sank a three-pointer from the right arc and barely cooled down after that. He was 6 for 9 from distance before halftime, including several tough, contested attempts.

But he didn't force anything in his powerful 25-point half. He attempted only twelve shots and provided six assists.

The Celtics led by as many as 24 points at halftime and took a 74-55 lead into the break. That result had to be discouraging for the Knicks, who found themselves in a huge gap despite shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

But in addition to 3-point volume, Mazzulla constantly emphasizes the importance of shooting margin. The Celtics made 13 more three-pointers than the Knicks in the half and took 11 more shots overall.

While the Celtics have enjoyed unusual championship continuity, the Knicks could take some time to catch on. This was the team's first regular season game since acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, and big players Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa are out due to injuries.

The offense went fairly smoothly, but there were miscommunications on defense that left Boston's shooters unmolested and unencumbered.

The third quarter began similarly to the second, with Brown, White and Jrue Holiday scoring consecutive three-pointers to quickly extend the lead to 83-57. Amid the avalanche of 3-pointers, there was one of the loudest ovations of the game for a section of the defense as Boston's ball pressure led to an eight-second violation in the backcourt.

On the other end, Tatum refused to cool down. At one point he failed a completely open 3-point attempt, and you could hear the crowd wondering why he was doing it. But when his defender got closer, he simply hit the more difficult one. The Celtics took a 113-87 lead in the fourth period.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.