The Boston Celtics are taking on the New York Knicks on Friday night at TD Garden in what is the home opener for the C's.

Following a 121-113 loss against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, excitement would be high for the home opener anyways, but the stage seems to be that much brighter following the recent public comment from Jaylen Brown about Jayson Tatum's reaction to the trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia this summer.

The comment by Brown is going to spark all sorts of discourse around Boston, and the league as a whole, and bring up years-old arguments about the relationship between the two.

But do the comments put any more pressure on Tatum, who is sure to be asked about them the minute he walks in the door on Friday night.

Make no mistake, Tatum is under pressure this season. But he was under pressure before these comments and he was going to be under pressure whether they got made or not.

Tatum needs to prove to everyone that the organization made the right decision to build around him and to trade Brown, as opposed to the other way around.

With Tatum injured most of last season, the world got a chance to see what the Celtics look like with Brown at the center, and he did not disappoint. He averaged 28.7 ppg and finished sixth in the MVP voting. He led the Celtics to a 56-26 record and a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tatum needs to have comparable numbers and/or comparable team success to quiet any discourse that the C's made the wrong choice in who they hitched their wagon to.

He can start by not going 6-of-23 again.

The Celtics will take on the Knicks at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. It will be the first chance for Mitchell Robinson to play against his old team since joining the Celtics this offseason. He helped New York to the NBA title last season as they beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

Robinson and his big men need to be better than they were in the opening season loss to Detroit, which we covered here.

The Knicks are coming off a loss in their opener as well, as they were beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks are led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Celtics will then play the Chicago Bulls on Monday.