BOSTON – The blueprint was printed in Celtics green, a plan Boston used to become NBA champions by building a team full of versatility and firepower. And after a successful run as a team that would drag opponents into a dogfight, Leon Rose and the Knicks front office opted to follow the blueprint.

So Tuesday night marks the first test of how well the Knicks version of the Celtics model — a team of interchangeable players with a center who drags the opponent beyond the three-point line — will measure up to the original.

“Every time a team wins the championship, everyone analyzes how they did and what their personnel was and what their plan was and everything,” Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks’ morning shootaround before the season opener at TD Garden, where they won the prices will increase Celtics’ NBA championship banner. “And so I don’t want to speak for the rest of the league, but a lot of people saw how successful they were with their offense and their five out and their schemes and whatever.

“And so it may not be a copy, but everyone is going to want to adapt a little bit to the new ways of basketball every time someone wins like that.”

The Knicks don’t exactly mimic the Celtics, and the Celtics won’t release their full lineup either. Kristaps Porzingis is likely to be sidelined for at least the first two months as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. But you can see the ideas: making a big deal for Karl-Anthony Towns, an elite big man shooting prospect, and another for Mikal Bridges, a two-way wing who could help OG Anunoby and Josh Hart defend Jayson Tatum and Jaylen of the Celtics. Brown.

“Yes, it will open up the space for everyone,” Anunoby said of Towns’ addition. “The lanes pull the center forward, which should be really nice. It will be exciting.”

And the Knicks have their own pedigree. After dropping their first four meetings with Boston last season, the Knicks managed to build a lead as large as 31 before settling for a nine-point win with Julius Randle out and Anunoby back from injury last April.

So if the Knicks can keep some of their drag through the mud style – see Brunson, Hart and coach Tom Thibodeau as the blueprint for that – and add a version of the Celtics style, perhaps their version can match or even surpass the original .

“Obviously the ball went through the hoop that night,” Brunson said of the win over Boston in April. “But we can’t think about the other four defeats we suffered against them. We had one good game against them, but for most of the season they were beating us. So I mean, we can do good things, but we have to be more consistent when it comes to playing it.

“The most important thing is that we have to stick together through everything. You can go through the That’s all we focus on.”

The Celtics get their rings and raise another banner, but coach Joe Mazzulla is already busy pushing the Celtics to forget the past and focus on the task of repeating.

“This team, the 2024-25 Celtics, isn’t great yet. That’s it right there,” Mazzulla told reporters on Monday. “Do we have the potential to be that? Yes. The key word ‘yet’ is very important. Do we have great talents? Yes. Do we have great players? Yes. Do we have a good foundation? Yes. Is this ’24-25 team great yet? No, because we haven’t played a match yet. It just takes time and every season is different. Assuming that in the past you just go (repeat what they did) doesn’t necessarily mean this is going to work now. You have to stay open to do something different.”

Game one of 82 – just weeks after this group was fully assembled – is an interesting benchmark for the Knicks, a chance to show off the new roster on national television against the team that is everyone’s hurdle. Brunson emphasized that it’s not too early to put that to the test.

“No. Not at all,” said Brunson. “I think obviously if you win the previous season and you’ve got, I think, almost everyone back, I think everyone’s back, you’re in a good position to have good results the next year.” things to do, so this is a good test for us. I mean, obviously they’re a great team and we have to see where we are.”

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has covered the Knicks and the NBA for nearly three decades, along with virtually every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.