Payton Pritchard (front) and the rest of the returning veteran Celtics have not answered the bell from a leadership prospective in the first two games of the season, both difficult losses.
Payton Pritchard (front) and the rest of the returning veteran Celtics have not answered the bell from a leadership prospective in the first two games of the season, both difficult losses.Heather Khalifa/Associated Press
NEW YORK — What Boston faithful may have to digest this season is that one good quarter from a quality team may be good enough to beat this edition of the Celtics, because it’s happened in the opening two games — two porous periods that led to troubling defeats.
It was the second quarter Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks just toyed with their undermanned opponent, seemingly missing shots just to run up their offensive rebounding numbers. And when the Celtics tried defending, they lost.
The Celtics outscored the Knicks in three of the four quarters, but that hardly matters when they allowed 42 points, committed six turnovers, yielded seven offensive rebounds and 12 free throws in that fateful 12-minute stretch of a 105-95 loss.
This is the Celtics team that will take getting accustomed to: A team that will play hard, defend well, but make a plethora of mistakes. But what is discouraging about the slow start is the players expected to perform and lead just aren’t.
Payton Pritchard has begun the season tentative and lacking confidence. One of his rare 3-point makes, he raised his arms in relief. He’s missed 12 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Derrick White isn’t much better, having missed 17 of 24 and is 12 for 38 overall. And Jaylen Brown was solid in the opener but committed nearly half of the Celtics’ 16 turnovers on the night, several of those just putrid passes.
If the Celtics are going to compete this season, make a playoff run, and turn this potential Tatum-less season into a success, they have to get better production from their top three players. The rest of the roster gets a pass at this point because they’re becoming accustomed to new roles.
Celtics Coach Joe Mazzullla (third from left) and the rest of his staff have not liked what they've seen so far from their team, missing star Jayson Tatum (third from right).
Celtics Coach Joe Mazzullla (third from left) and the rest of his staff have not liked what they've seen so far from their team, missing star Jayson Tatum (third from right).Heather Khalifa/Associated Press
But it begins with the basics — rebounding, something coach Joe Mazzulla knew would be a thorn for this team. But Friday it was a matter of hustle and technique. Josh Hart collected 14 rebounds in fewer than 19 minutes. That can’t happen.
The Knicks shot 38.4 percent from the field, committed 20 turnovers, and yet led for the final 30 minutes and 47 seconds. It’s as if they were messing around with the Celtics, refusing to take them seriously because of the talent disparity.
Or maybe the Celtics did play stellar defense, bottle up the Knicks, and were a couple of defensive stops and rebounds from taking it the final minutes. But this isn’t the Continental Basketball Association. You get nothing by winning quarters if you’re losing the game.
The Celtics have played well enough to win both games so far, but allowed a combined 84 points on 54.3 percent shooting and 56.5 percent from the 3-point line in the quarters that decided the game. That’s the definition of inconsistency.
“I mean, no, you have to execute,” Mazzulla said. “The details are in the discipline. I mean, maybe playing in a different system for some of them … but no, there’s just details that we just, you have to build a habit of executing that discipline.
“If you look at a 48-minute game, no one has played a perfect 48-minute game. I thought last game, maybe we played 12 to 16 minutes of the way that we need to play on both ends, and I thought it was closer to 24 minutes tonight. So, we just have to continue to get that number up as high as possible. And it’s just the effort and the details in the discipline.”
But the difference between good teams and bad teams in the NBA are these stretches. The Celtics can be good enough to win on most nights but still lose because of six awful minutes. The Knicks went on a 28-6 run to begin the second quarter over a span of 8:11. The Celtics managed two baskets in a 41-second stretch, and the game was essentially over.
All the good work from a strong first quarter ruined, and they were relegated to spending the second half playing from behind, jacking up 3-pointers, and then fouling or allowing the Knicks to score on second chances.
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks dominated rookie Hugo Gonzalez and the Celtics inside all night.
Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks dominated rookie Hugo Gonzalez and the Celtics inside all night.Heather Khalifa/Associated Press
The problem is with the departures of four primary players and the loss of Tatum, the Celtics lack the offensive firepower to make big runs at this point. Perhaps Anfernee Simons or Chris Boucher can get on an occasional heater to help the main guys, but the Celtics desperately need White, Pritchard, and Brown to perform well nearly every night to have a chance against elite teams.
With Neemias Queta playing limited minutes (22 on Friday), the Celtics lack volume rebounders, meaning they are going to have to shore up defensive fundamentals, block out, and force more turnovers to compensate.
What we figured about this team is that the margin for error is razor thin and they have to capitalize on their chances to win because they will be more difficult to obtain. That’s why losing the opener to the 76ers was so costly because generating momentum and consistency will be an issue for this team in the early going. The schedule won’t get any easier, so prepare for a bumpy ride and gradual improvement.
And while Mazzulla said his team played steadier minutes than in the opener, the Celtics walked away losers. Moral victories or winning quarters have zero significance at this level.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.