BOSTON – The Celtics celebrated with the Knicks after their coronation ceremony.

Touted as Boston's biggest threat in the East, New York put up the resistance of a wet paper bag in Tuesday's horrific and troubling season-opening loss at Beantown, 132-109.

It was immediate chaos for the Knicks, who fielded their expensive, star-studded lineup and trailed by as many as 21 points in the first quarter.

Tom Thibodeau's squad never recovered.

It actually failed, allowing the deficit to grow to 35 in the second half while also serving as willing guests at a Boston “Three” party.

The Celtics hit 29 goals from distance, setting the NBA record.

It was so embarrassing and uncompetitive that the Boston crowd kept chanting “One more 3” in the final minutes because the Celtics were just one three-pointer shy of the all-time record.

With the starters already retired, the Celtics reserves got their act together by attempting attempts on every possession but were unable to convert them.

The Knicks' problems were widespread, but none were more glaring than the first half of Mikal Bridges, who changed his preseason form, throwing rocks in the air in the preseason and missing shots early Tuesday as if he were in a seizure infected by Japs.

The Knicks even tried to boost Bridges' confidence by giving him a technical foul shot in the third quarter.

He missed it.

Bridges, acquired for five first-round picks over the summer, finally broke the seal in the second half, finishing strong with 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

If there was one positive on Tuesday, it was Bridges perhaps coming out of the slump in the end.

But Bridges also came under pressure on defense from Jayson Tatum, who dropped 37 points in 30 minutes – including 8 of 11 from 3-pointers.

The Knicks were outscored by 33 points with Bridges on the court.

The Celtics, who received their championship rings before kickoff, had a clear and unchallenged view of the rim.

One could hardly have imagined a worse debut for Leon Rose's design.

Jalen Brunson (22 points, 9 of 14 shooting) and Miles McBride (22 points, 8 of 10) were strong individually on offense.

But Karl-Anthony Towns' debut (12 points, seven rebounds) was disappointing and the Knicks looked like they didn't belong in the same league as the Celtics, let alone a threat to dethrone them.

Boston won every statistical category and the Knicks, who replaced rim protection and rebounding with shooting and spacing in the offseason, grabbed just five offensive boards, well below their season-leading 12.7 average.

TD Garden was on fire from the first moment, experienced the emotional climax of the ring evening and hoisted the Celtics' 18th banner.

The Knicks decided not to watch the Celtics' coronation hanging in the locker room.

If this was a strategy to avoid distractions, it didn't work.

Thibodeau called his first timeout after 2½ minutes and things only got worse from there.

Before the game, Thibodeau called the match a benchmark.

“It’s always a good test. “They are the defending champions and until someone proves they can beat them, that’s what you expect,” the coach said. “And that's why we know we have to be ready. We have to play a great game on both sides.”

The Knicks did none of that. You failed the test.