Boston Celtics
Paul George’s 38 points on Tuesday in Detroit marked the most points scored by a Celtics player in his first game with the team.
The Celtics opened their 2026-27 season on a sour note Tuesday, with Boston relinquishing a 22-point lead en route to a 121-113 loss to the Pistons.
If there was one silver lining to draw from Tuesday’s letdown in Detroit, it was the play of veteran Paul George.
In his game in a Celtics jersey, George dropped 38 points off of 12-for-21 shooting — including a 7-of-12 showing on shots from beyond the arc.
It set a new Celtics franchise record for the most points scored in a debut.
“He was unbelievable,” Jayson Tatum said of his new teammate. “Just the confidence he played with. Obviously making plays on defense. Just kind of getting to his spots. His ability to defend and get out and run and be able to space the floor and attack certain matchups how he can.”
It was an encouraging performance from the 36-year-old George, who will need to make sizable contributions on both ends of the court to help a Celtics team that traded superstar Jaylen Brown in the offseason.
George’s play certainly deserves a spot among the greatest debuts in Boston sports history — with other standouts including legends, trusty role players, and unheralded rookies.
Paul George – October 20, 2026
George was one of the few bright spots on a lackluster afternoon for the Celtics on Tuesday, sinking several shots from 3-point range en route to a 38-point performance.
He also added five rebounds and five steals in 30:35 of game action.
George wasn’t harping on “moral victories” after a second-half collapse against the Pistons. But did note that he hasn’t felt this healthy to start a season since the 2023-24 campaign with the Clippers.
“I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there, and then honestly, going to Philly, I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back, and I couldn’t quite shake that one — it was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong, and it was rough, right?” George said. “Because I was trying to rest, but I was also trying to be available for the team, and just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together.”
Kristaps Porzingis – October 25, 2023
Prior to George’s 38-point performance on Tuesday, it was Kristaps Porzingis who held court with the most points in a debut game with the Celtics.
Porzingis’ rim protection, post play, and ability to stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting played a key role in Boston’s eventual run to an 18th championship during the 2023-24 season.
And the 7-foot-2 big man made his presence felt during his first game with Boston — recording 30 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots to help the Celtics defeat his former team, the Knicks, at Madison Square Garden.
Pedro Martinez – April 1, 1998
The Red Sox bore witness to one of the greatest pitching peaks in baseball history after trading for Pedro Martinez before the 1998 season.
Martinez, fresh off winning the NL Cy Young Award the previous year in Montreal, lived up to the hype in his first game with Boston on April 1, 1998, against the Oakland A’s.
Martinez allowed just three hits and zero runs over seven innings of work, striking out 11 en route to a 2-0 win at Network Associates Coliseum.
Boston’s ace went on to win two Cy Young Awards over his seven seasons in Boston — finishing top-3 in voting for the award another three times.
Randy Moss – September 9, 2007
Remember when there were valid questions about just how much Randy Moss actually had left in the tank after the Patriots pried him out of Oakland?
After a few lackluster seasons with the Raiders, it seemed unlikely Moss would ever return to the peak performance of his early Vikings years.
But the superstar receiver erased those doubts in his first game with Tom Brady and the Patriots — hauling in nine catches for 183 yards and one touchdown in a 38-14 win over the Jets.
Moss — who snagged a 51-yard touchdown pass from Brady — went on to play an essential role in New England’s 16-0 regular season, recording 98 catches for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns.
Kevin Garnett – November 2, 2007
Garnett and the Celtics opened their “Big 3” era with a bang — dominating the Wizards, 103-83, at TD Garden.
Paul Pierce (28 points) and Ray Allen were as advertised (17 points) after a transformative offseason for Boston.
Still, Garnett had the biggest impact in that blowout win — posting 20 points, 22 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks while bringing his trademark intensity to the parquet floor.
Garnett went on to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2007-08 while helping lead the Celtics to their first championship since 1986.
That season marked the greatest turnaround season in NBA history, with Boston going from 24-58 in 2006-07 to 66-16 en route to a title.
Ray Bourque – October 11, 1979
It didn’t take long for Ray Bourque to establish himself as a franchise blueliner in Boston.
After Boston drafted the Quebec product with the eighth pick in the 1979 NHL Draft, Bourque dominated as a rookie — scoring 17 goals and 65 total points while logging heavy minutes on Boston’s D corps as a teenager. For his efforts, he took home the Calder Memorial Trophy as the Rookie of the Year in 1979-80.
In his first game donning the spoked-B, Bourque recorded his first NHL point just 40 seconds into Boston’s season — notching the primary assist on a goal from Al Secord before tallying his first goal with a power-play blast at 9:33 of the third period.
Bourque went on to play 21 seasons in Boston—scoring 410 goals and 1,579 points while winning five Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman.
Dont’a Hightower/Chandler Jones – September 9, 2012
The Patriots utilized a pair of first-round picks in the 2012 NFL Draft to bolster their defense — selecting Chandler Jones (21st overall) out of Syracuse before adding Dont’a Hightower (25th overall) from Alabama.
Both rookies made an immediate impact in New England’s 2012 season opener against the Titans — with Chandler Jones strip-sacking Tennessee QB Jake Locker early in the second quarter.
Hightower scooped up the loose ball and tumbled into the end zone for a touchdown, helping New England put together a comfortable 34-14 win.
Jones finished with a sack and a tackle for loss against the Titans, while Hightower added five tackles of his own.
Jones won one Super Bowl in New England in 2014 before getting dealt to the Cardinals, while Hightower emerged as a fixture on the Patriots’ dynasty — winning three Super Bowls in Foxborough while routinely making clutch plays in the postseason.
Daisuke Matsuzaka – April 5, 2007
The hype was immense for Matsuzaka after Boston paid a steep posting fee (and a six-year, $52 million contract) to bring the phenom over to MLB after a sterling career in Japan.
There was no “gyroball” on display in Matsuzaka’s first big-league start against the Royals. But the righty was effective in Kansas City — allowing one run over seven innings of work while striking out 10 batters in a 4-1 win.
Matsuzaka never exactly lived up to the hype as an ace in MLB. But Matsuzaka did deliver in his first two years with Boston — winning 14 games as a rookie, including two in the postseason en route to a 2007 World Series title with the Red Sox.
He won another 18 games in 2008 with Boston, although he was also prone to some onerous outings due to nibbling on the corners and putting runners on — as evidenced by a 1.324 WHIP that year.
Curtis Martin – September 3, 1995
Martin hit the ground running for the Patriots during the 1995 season — picking up 30 yards on his first carry and finishing with 102 total yards in New England’s 17-14 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Martin provided the heroics for New England, giving the Patriots the lead for good with a one-yard touchdown run with just 24 seconds left on the clock — stunning a Browns team coached by Bill Belichick.
Daniel Nava – June 12, 2010
Nava was a relatively unknown player when the Red Sox called the 27-year-old outfielder up in 2010.
After all, Boston paid just $1 for Nava’s rights from the Chico Outlaws of the independent Golden Baseball League in 2007.
But Nava made the most of the first pitch he ever saw in the majors — slugging a grand slam into Boston’s bullpen in the Red Sox’ eventual 10-2 win over the Phillies.
Nava became a valuable outfielder and platoon bat for the Red Sox over five seasons in Boston — playing 134 games and driving in 66 runs for the eventual World Series champions in 2013.
Nava had several memorable homers at Fenway, including a go-ahead, three-run shot in the eighth inning of Boston’s first home game after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
Cam Newton – September 13, 2020
Cam Newton’s lone season with the Patriots in 2020 left a lot to be desired.
But the former NFL MVP got off to a promising start in Foxborough, as shown by his play in New England’s season-opening 21-11 win over the Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
While he didn’t throw for a touchdown, he did complete 15-of-19 passes for 155 yards, while also rushing for 75 yards and a pair of rushing scores.
Newton’s 75 rushing yards were the most on the ground for a Patriots QB until Drake Maye gained 95 yards against the Titans in November 2024.
Billy Rohr – April 14, 1967
Billy Rohr only pitched in 10 total games with the Red Sox — logging two seasons in the big leagues between Boston and Cleveland.
But the lefty had an incredible start to his MLB career in Boston’s “Impossible Dream” season — posting a no-hitter through eight innings against the Yankees in the Bronx.
A spectacular diving catch from eventual ‘67 AL MVP Carl Yastrzemski in the bottom of the ninth seemingly sealed Rohr’s no-no — only for Elston Howard (who was traded to Boston later that season) to line a single into right with two outs in the inning.
Rohr finished with a complete-game one-hitter against New York, one of just three wins in his big-league career.
Gustavo Bou – July 17, 2019
“La Pantera” made a sizable impact during his tenure with the Revolution, scoring 48 goals and 21 assists in 108 total appearances — playing a key role in New England’s 2021 season, when they set a then-MLS record for the most points in a single season.
Bou didn’t take long to establish himself as an electric talent with New England — scoring via an impressive left-footed volley off a Carles Gil corner kick just before halftime of an eventual 4-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Jeremy Swayman – April 6, 2021
With Tuukka Rask sidelined due to injury and Jaroslav Halak testing positive for COVID, the Bruins needed to make an emergency move for goaltending reinforcements — calling up Swayman after just nine games played with the Providence Bruins.
The young netminder out of the University of Maine was more than up to the task — stopping 40 of 42 shots en route to a 4-2 road win over the Flyers.
Swayman went on to sport a .945 save percentage over 10 games down the stretch with the Bruins that season, offering hope that Boston had a new franchise netminder in the pipeline.
Connelly Early – September 9, 2025
It didn’t take very long for Early to showcase his potential as a big-league arm for the Red Sox.
He only pitched five innings in his Red Sox debut against the A’s in Sacramento, but the 23-year-old lefty was dominant over that stretch — scattering five hits and giving up zero runs while striking out 11 batters. Those 11 strikeouts tied Don Aase (1977) for the Red Sox franchise record for strikeouts in an MLB debut.
Charlie McAvoy – October 5, 2017
Charlie McAvoy initially impressed as a call-up to a banged-up Bruins D corps during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs — averaging a whopping 26:12 of ice time per game in Boston’s six-game series against the Ottawa Senators.
McAvoy carried that hype over into his first NHL regular-season game during Boston’s home opener against Nashville in 2017 — recording his first point off a primary helper on a David Pastrnak power-play goal before lighting the lamp later in the game en route to a 4-3 win.
Dave “Boo” Ferriss – April 29, 1945
Ferriss stuffed the stat sheet in his big-league debut for the Red Sox in the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics.
Not only did he record a shutout on the mound for Boston, but he was also 3-for-3 at the plate and scored one of Boston’s two runs in a 2-0 win.
It was the start of a promising — albeit brief career — for Ferris in the majors, as he won 21 games as a rookie. During Boston’s run to the World Series in 1946, Ferris was Boston’s ace on the mound — going 25-6 with a 3.25 ERA. He only played six years with Boston due to injures, sporting a 65-30 record with a 3.64 ERA.
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