1. How does Boston respond after an 0-2 start?
Two games into the season, the Celtics are still looking for their first win. Granted, their two opponents — Philadelphia and New York — have high postseason ambitions, but that’s beside the point. Against the 76ers, Boston blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead. On Friday night against the Knicks, New York jumped out to a 20-point halftime advantage and held on despite a late Celtics rally.
Now Boston travels to Detroit to take on the 1-1 Pistons, who defeated the Houston Rockets on Friday night and this game already feels like a must-win.
It was always going to be an adjustment for the Celtics to find a new identity without Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis, but they need to find ways to grind out wins while still figuring out who they are.
This matchup is a perfect test against another young team with playoff aspirations — and one with enough firepower to punish Boston if the Celtics aren’t fully locked in.
The rookie didn’t play in the home opener against the 76ers. However, Hugo González logged 23 minutes against the Knicks and looked the part — especially on the defensive end. González even got a shoutout from Amazon Prime’s Stan Van Gundy during the broadcast.
“I’ve got a man crush on Hugo González,” Van Gundy said.
It was easy to see why. González made plays that brought back memories of Marcus Smart — the kind of hustle plays that don’t show up on the box score. He has a long way to go before reaching Smart’s level, but in his 23 minutes of action, he didn’t disappoint.
Standing 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, González has the potential to become a lockdown defender. He guarded both guards and bigs, even stripping the ball from former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele in the second half.
If head coach Joe Mazzulla wants players competing at 100 percent, González nailed his audition. And with a tough, physical guard up next in Cade Cunningham, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mazzulla test his rookie with that assignment.
3. Who will win the White vs. Cunningham dual?
One of the best individual matchups in last year’s meetings between the Celtics and Pistons came between Cade Cunningham and Derrick White.
In Detroit, White denied Cunningham at the rim twice — including a game-saving block late in the fourth quarter.
Cunningham got one back earlier in the game with a first-half poster dunk over White.
After the game White spoke about the block and being dunked on:
“He dunked on me earlier in the game, so I felt like I had to get some revenge on that one,” White said.
When the two teams met again in Boston, Cunningham once again rose up and dunked over White.
This duel remains a key storyline. Cunningham is Detroit’s best player, while White is Boston’s second-best player and top defender. If White can limit Cunningham — which is easier said than done — Boston will have a strong chance to grab its first win of the season on the road.
