After a perfect 4-0 preseason, the Boston Celtics kick off the regular season on Tuesday afternoon (3 p.m. ET) against the Detroit Pistons in Detroit.

It should be an excellent matchup between two solid teams in the Eastern Conference. After all, Detroit finished the 2025-26 season as the No. 1 team in the East while the Celtics were 56-26 and the No. 2 seed.

Neither team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, so each team has unfinished business. The New York Knicks obviously won the NBA title, defeating the San Antonio Spurs.

Speaking with the media on Sunday, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave a philosophical answer on what he's looking forward to this season.

Per @CLNSCeltics:

What feelings does Joe have about this team? "All of those. I do love this team. I do want to see who we are when it doesn't go our way ... what're we gonna be after a winning streak? After a losing streak? ... I love who we can become, but I also am excited to go through all the s*** that the NBA season gives you. I'm excited to lose with this team. I'm excited to win with this team ... to see who we become on the other side of it." Q: @GWashburnGlobe

Mazzulla is known to be a deep thinker, so this answer is perfectly on par with things he usually says. He is absolutely looking forward to seeing how his team responds to success, and to failure, and to adversity. He's also looking forward to seeing how individuals respond to adversity. How do they respond to discomfort? Injury? Loss of playing time? Change in role? Those types of responses will factor into how this season goes.

Without Jaylen Brown in the fold, this Celtics team will undoubtedly look different in 2026--27. Some people think that, without Brown, the Celtics can actually be better given the return of Jayson Tatum, the complimentary nature of Paul George, the tenacity of the defense and the fact that simply "trying hard" in the regular season often leads to victories.

However, I remain more skeptical of the Celtics. And it's not because I don't think they're good, it's because I don't think they'll be able to reach their best form often enough. I think so much of this team's success depends on George's ability to stay healthy, and considering he's played 60 games or less in six of the last seven seasons, I just worry that he won't be able to give them what they need often enough to hit their ultimate ceiling.

Devin Carter, who was signed to a two-way contract on Saturday, will miss some time with mononucleosis. The G-League season starts at the beginning of November and he'll work to be healthy in time for that.

Carter is a former lottery pick of the Sacramento Kings.