Chief among them was Fox Sports's Emmanuel Acho, who boldly declared the Celtics matched up better with the Knicks without Tatum in the lineup. That take reached the eyes and ears of Kevin Durant, who immediately took to social media to respond, making clear that he strongly disagreed with Acho's attempt at stirring the pot.

It was an all-around team victory, with the standouts being Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Luke Kornet, each in their own way. Brown had 12 assists, White had seven three-pointers, and Kornet had seven blocks, among their other contributions.

The Boston Celtics should have folded like a wet cardboard box. But they did not, and instead put together one of their best games in recent memory.