BOSTON – The reporter wanted to know when the starting lineup would be announced. Would it be revealed at game time?
“I don’t know,” said Kenny Atkinson, the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, with typical self-deprecation. “Funny, that’s the first time I have to even think about it. It’s the dilemma of a new coach.”
How much more could he learn? In 1988 Atkinson had driven the University of Richmond to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. For more than a decade thereafter he had played professionally in the leagues of Europe, never spending more than a couple of seasons with any club before moving onto the next country. Since 2004 he had been working as an assistant coach in Paris, in New York with the Knicks, and for the last four seasons in Atlanta with the Hawks. His entire life had been preoccupied with basketball, but now it felt entirely new.
He was a 49-year-old rookie head coach and Wednesday was his opening night on the home court of the Boston Celtics.
“For me, personally? Everything,” he said when asked what felt new about his work on this special day. “From the time I wake up, my routine is totally different than when I was an assistant. You’re worrying about a lot more things. Normally, when I was an assistant, I would work out. This morning I didn’t work out – I was looking at rotations and ATOs, so it’s changed. And I love it. It’s a great challenge.”
The young rosters of these two teams appeared to be crossing paths in different directions. The Celtics have been ascending in part because of the blockbuster 2013 trade that has given them access to the Nets’ unprotected No. 1 pick for four years. Boston spent the most recent pick – No. 3 overall via Brooklyn – on small forward Jaylen Brown, who even by NBA standards looked explosive Wednesday while scoring an efficient nine points and blocking two shots in 19 minutes.
The zero-sum trade has done equivalent harm to the Nets. Atkinson was hired by Sean Marks, the new GM, to help overhaul the roster and rebuild patiently despite the absence of Brooklyn’s first-round picks for the next two drafts. And so the Nets’ predicament created a dual opportunity for the Celtics on opening night: To build upon their steady improvement of the previous two seasons while also aiding their chances of winning the lottery next spring.
“This is a big, long season ahead,” warned Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who was nine years younger than Atkinson and yet launching his fourth NBA season. “We want to be ready to play our best. We want to be ready to play 82 games. They’re going to come one after another.”
The opening-night nerves gave way to positive energy. The Nets’ most qualified players, Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin, were a combined 1 for 12 in the first half, and yet the visitors were trailing by no more than 64-58 at the intermission. The scoring of Justin Hamilton, Bojan Bogdanovic and Sean Kilpatrick (a combined 13 of 21 for 33 points) was keeping Brooklyn within reach.
Then, just as quickly, the young Nets were overtaken by the realities of the long year to come. Celtics forward Jae Crowder (who would finish with 21 points) hit a jumper before turning a steal into a dunk, All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas (23 points) canned his first 3-pointer of the season, and within a span of 87 seconds the predictable outcome seemed assured. The Celtics led by 17 near the end of the third quarter, and midway through the fourth – not long after they’d gone ahead by 23 – their starters were resting on the bench. A back-to-back game was awaiting them Thursday night in Chicago.
Thousands of fans had already departed when the Nets began piecing together an 11-0 run that forced Stevens to send his starters back in to protect a 118-110 lead with 2:07 to go. And yet there was Bogdanovic (21 points) converting a put back and Trevor Booker turning a steal into a layup to make it 120-114. A Bogdanovic 3-pointer elicited screams from the small remaining audience as the Celtics found themselves defending a one-possession lead, and over the next 30 seconds they would be grateful to see Bogdanovic and Hamilton (19 points & 10 rebounds) miss game-tying 3s.
The bottom line of Boston’s 122-117 win revolved around the debut of All-Star power forward Al Horford, who generated 11 points on eight shots, six assists and four blocks in 27 minutes. The Celtics shot 53.9% and assisted 75% of their field goals, and yet they were very nearly sabotaged by their 19 turnovers.
“Offensively we were pretty sound as a group; defensively we were a sieve,” said Stevens, who was not inclined to make too much of one showing. “Not great end-of-game play by the Celtics, but we’re happy to win and we’ll fly out tonight.”
For Atkinson, however, it was crucial to emphasize the positives. “I’m very pleased we didn’t give up,” he said at the end of his first official day on the job. “We kept fighting. I liked our grit and competitiveness in the fourth quarter.”
The rebuilding team was hoping to prove itself. The contender was looking to improve. There will be 81 more opportunities over the coming six months.
Ian Thomsen has covered the NBA since 2000. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.
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