Knicks Rival Looking to Keep Ring Night Brief

The Boston Celtics will get their 2024 championship rings against the New York Knicks.

Dec 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket during the second half against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

When the New York Knicks come to visit before Halloween, their hosts will receive the sweetest treat.

The Knicks' opening game of the 2024-25 season against the Boston Celtics will carry a bittersweet aura: a Knicks group presumably standing at full strength will get a chance to prove its mettle against a bitter, elite rival, but they'll also have to watch those adversaries don the championship rings from their NBA-record 18th Finals victory for the first time.

If it were up to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, the ceremony will over as quickly as it begins.

Feb 24, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) and center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"I’m of the mindset that after ring night, in a weird way, we got to put that behind (us),” Tatum said in a summer profile from Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Last year was last year. We did it. It was a dream come true. We worked our (butt) off for it."

"But after ring night, we got to move on. We got to get ready for game two.”

The 2024-25 NBA season is opening on a high note: many Knicks supporters believe that their team would've been the Eastern hurdle the Celtics would've faced in the conference final before facing the Dallas Mavericks in the championship series if not for injuries to several major talents, ones that led to a somber ending to the second round tilt against the Indiana Pacers. Barring disaster, both sides will be at full strength for opening/ring night.

Tatum would be wise to focus on the Knicks: if New York wasn't the top contender to topple Boston, it certainly upped its chances by trading for former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges over the offseason.

While Boston won last year's season series by taking four of five, the Knicks' lone win was a convincing 118-109 tally back on Apr. 11. While the Celtics had their top positioning mostly sealed by that point, the Knicks led by as much as 31 before pulling out their headliners. Of note, it was the only one of the five games that featured OG Anunoby in blue and orange.

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