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On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors finally received their 2022 NBA championship rings before their season opener against the LA Lakers.
In other news, the Boston Celtics took the opportunity to honor NBA and Celtics legend Bill Russell before their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile, the Lakers showed very few signs of improvement by bricking countless threes during their opening game versus the Warriors.
On that note, here’s the latest news from around the NBA as of Oct. 19, 2022.
Boston Celtics honor NBA legend Bill Russell
NBA legend Bill Russell is considered by most to be the greatest player in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise. So before the Celtics’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, the team took the chance to honor the late great Russell.
It was the first of two planned ceremonies this season to celebrate and remember Russell, who passed away on July 31 at the age of 88. The second ceremony is scheduled for Russell’s birthday on Feb. 12.
The team’s tribute included video highlights of Russell’s best moments on and off the court. The team then wore No. 6 patches in the top corner of their new special edition jerseys. These jerseys also featured 11 gold diamonds down the side, representing the 11 championships Russell helped bring to Boston over his legendary 13-year career.
Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown also said some kind words about Russell before the game.
“Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for. He represented a nobility and honesty that transcended sport. … He was a true champion both on and off the floor, and our gratitude is endless,” Brown said.
The ceremony concluded with two performances by Grammy-nominated singer Aloe Blacc and a poem by Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown lead Celtics past 76ers in season opener
The Boston Celtics kicked off their season in style on Tuesday night versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points apiece to lead Boston to a 126-117 home win over the Sixers. Boston also received 16 points from newly-acquired guard Malcolm Brogdon, 15 points from Grant Williams and 14 points and seven assists from Marcus Smart. Meanwhile, Tatum secured a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with his 35 points. The Celtics as a team, also shot a blistering 56.1% from the field (46/82) for the game in an impressive offensive display.
On the Sixers' side, superstars James Harden and Joel Embiid led the team with 35 points and 26 points respectively. Embiid also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, Sixers rising star guard Tyrese Maxey and veteran forward Tobias Harris added 21 and 18 points, respectively, for Philly.
Overall, it was a fairly competitive game as the Sixers also shot 50% (40/80) from the field and 38.2% (13/34) from three as a team. The game was tied 63-63 at halftime before the Celtics outscored Philly 35-25 in the third quarter to take a 98-88 lead entering the fourth. The Celtics never gave up the lead again as their lead ranged from six to 16 throughout the fourth quarter.
The Celtics, along with their new interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, now move to 1-0 on the season. Their next game will be on Friday on the road against the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the Sixers fall to 0-1 heading into their tough Thursday home opener versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
Golden State Warriors receive 2022 NBA championship rings
The Golden State Warriors received their 2022 NBA championship rings during Tuesday’s pregame ceremony before their season opener versus the LA Lakers. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, along with Warriors co-executive chairmen Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, presented members of last year’s title team with their rings.
The rings were reportedly crafted by Jason of Beverly Hills. They feature 16 carats of yellow and white diamonds representing the team’s 16 wins during the 2022 NBA playoffs. The rings also include seven carats of yellow cushion cut diamonds on the edge that represent the team’s seven championships. In addition, 43 baguette diamonds in the bridge represent Stephen Curry’s iconic 43-point performance in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
The rings reportedly even include a secret compartment at the top of the ring that reveals the trophies won by each member of the team. Other features include seven championship trophies on the side of the ring to represent the franchise’s seven NBA championships. The Warriors’ “Just Us” mantra is also engraved in the ring.
Overall, the rings were about as impressive as one would expect from a franchise as prominent and successful as the Warriors. Tuesday’s championship ring ceremony marked the team’s fourth in eight years.
LA Lakers struggle with shooting woes against Warriors on opening night
After raising their 2022 championship banner, the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 123-109 win over the LA Lakers on opening night.
Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry led the Warriors with a game-high 33 points. Curry was followed by teammate Andrew Wiggins, who finished with an efficient 20 points. Overall, it was a balanced attack on both ends of the floor by the Warriors, who finished with seven players scoring eight points or more.
Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled mightily, shooting just 25% (10/40) from three as the Warriors kept letting the Lakers fire away from outside. Their leading scorers were superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with 31 points and 27 points respectively. James also finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and eight assists. However, it didn’t matter much as the Lakers appeared to be outmatched from a talent and depth perspective all night.
The Lakers now fall to 0-1 on the season, entering a tough home opener versus the LA Clippers on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Warriors move to 1-0 on the season. However, they also have a much tougher matchup on Friday at home against the Denver Nuggets.
Celtics’ big man Robert Williams III had PRP injection after undergoing knee surgery
The Boston Celtics may have looked strong on opening night. However, the team recently received a tough injury update regarding starting big man Robert Williams III. Williams is reportedly out indefinitely after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured left knee on Monday. This comes after Williams already underwent knee surgery in late September.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the update on Tuesday. Charania noted that the Celtics hope Williams can return for the second half of this season.
Williams, aged 25, is coming off a career-best season with averages of 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game on 73.6% shooting. He was also a member of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last season. So, simply put, it will be difficult for the team to replace his production.
Williams’ extended absence will now put a lot of pressure on 36-year-old veteran big man Al Horford this season. In today’s game versus the Sixers, Horford finished with just six points and five rebounds on 2/7 shooting as the team’s starting center. Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, Sixers big man Joel Embiid finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds on 9/18 shooting. However, that is actually a pretty average game for Embiid, and the Celtics got the win. So all things considered, Horford did a credible job defending him.
It will certainly be interesting to see if the Celtics can keep up this level of success against the league's top bigs while Williams remains sidelined.
