Celtics Eager for Home Opener vs. Heat: 'We've Got History'

The Celtics host the Heat in their home opener, a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals, which ended with a Miami win on Boston's home floor.

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The Boston Celtics started the 2023-24 campaign with a 108-104 win over the New York Knicks Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Now, they're preparing for their first game of the season at TD Garden.

"Friday night at the Garden, it doesn't get any better than that," stated Al Horford after Thursday's film session.

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Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) reacts after his three against the Atlanta Hawks in game 2 of the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.

On the other side of the matchup is the same team that ended the Celtics season on their home floor in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

While discussing Friday's contest and whether there's any carryover from how last season ended, Horford conveyed the following to Inside The Celtics.

"I'm excited to start at the Garden and get to play here at home in front of our fans. We're obviously disappointed (with) how last year ended for us. We've talked about that, but I'm excited to see what this group and what we're gonna get to do tomorrow."

Focusing on who Boston's sharing the parquet with in its home opener, Jaylen Brown expressed after Friday's shootaround, "A team that we're super familiar with. We played them a bunch of times in the playoffs. A team that we've got a history with. So, tonight we come out, start of a new season, looking to set the tone early."

For as much familiarity as there is between these two, both will look significantly different than when they last squared off. The Heat lost their starting playoff backcourt of Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, but it welcomed back Tyler Herro and added promising prospect Jaime Jaquez Jr. in this year's draft.

Friday's hosts reshaped their core, acquiring Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis at the expense of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, among others.

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Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) dunks past New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden.

In their regular-season opener, Porzingis generated 30 points, the most in a Celtics debut, shot 8/15 from the field, buried 5/9 threes, and converted on 9/10 free throws. The seven-foot-three center also grabbed eight rebounds and had a game-high four blocks. He was the best player on the floor.

As highlighted while examining the glimpse the former All-Star gave of how he'll boost Boston's late-game offense, Porzingis got a few of his points from working the pick-and-roll with Brown as the ball handler.

Friday morning, the All-NBA wing shared the following with Inside The Celtics about how Boston's new big man will help him grow as a facilitator.

"He's important for our group. So, I'm always telling him I'm looking for him early, getting him going, getting him feeling well, getting adjusted to not just Boston, but just our team and our organization, our culture. He's a huge part of what we want in terms of our long-term success. I tell KP all the time, 'I'm going to you early; I'm looking for you early.' Get him feeling well because we need him on defense, too, as well as offense. He's important to everything that we got going over here. So, I'm going to make sure to get him going and get him feeling well."

As the hosts aim for a small measure of revenge after what happened in the playoffs, it helps that, like Wednesday night in New York, there's no one on their injury report.

As for Miami, Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) are out. Duncan Robinson (foot sprain), Caleb Martin (knee tendinosis), and Jaquez Jr. (groin strain) are probable.

The Celtics and Heat will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the matchup before, during, and afterward. Follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Here's Who's on the Injury Report for Friday's Celtics-Heat Game

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Jrue Holiday on Celtics' Opening Night Victory vs. Knicks: 'Winning is Our Only Option'

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks: Porzingis Leads Late Rally to Propel Boston

Jaylen Brown Teams with Johnny Cupcakes to Give Back to Boston

Rajon Rondo Latest Former Celtic to Spend Time with C's

Celtics Embracing Sacrifice in Championship Pursuit: 'Have to Buy into That'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative

Here's What to Know About Celtics' 2023-24 Schedule

Dwyane Wade Discusses Jayson Tatum's Next Step, Him and Jaylen Brown's Challenge, Heat Culture, Pat Riley, Damian Lillard, and Life After Basketball