The Knicks open the Celtics' chase with a warning from Karl-Anthony Towns

There was a widespread perception at Karl-Anthony Towns' last stop that the Minnesota roster was built to take down one team in particular.

“They’re designed to beat us,” Nikola Jokic said in May, shortly before his Nuggets were eliminated by the Timberwolves.

Now Towns has changed conferences, and with it the Larry O'Brien Trophy – it has moved from Denver to Boston.

That championship is the backdrop for the Knicks' season opener on Tuesday night in Boston, where Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. will receive their diamond-encrusted title rings.

“Good for those guys,” Mikal Bridges said. “But I’m ready to play. Nothing else.”

Conventional wisdom suggests the path to the next NBA Finals goes through the Celtics, and the Knicks appear to be able to compete well on paper given their star-studded wing defensemen Tatum, Brown and Derrick White.

As Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks acquired Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby, “We’re all chasing Boston.”

But Towns said focusing on one team was too narrow-minded.

“For us in Minnesota, we just worked to win a championship. So we can’t just worry about one team,” Towns said. “We have to worry about the entire Eastern Conference. In order for us to accomplish what we want to do and what this city expects of us, we have to be able to be a team that not only beats Boston, but finds a way to beat every team in the East. So if we stick to the philosophy of just beating one team, it won’t work.”

Cities are right.

The Timberwolves, emphasizing size with one of the NBA's deepest lineups, eliminated the Nuggets in the second round last season but fell to the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.

You have achieved a goal, but not the goal.

The Knicks, who haven't made it to a conference finals since the Clinton administration, are in no position to overlook the Sixers, Cavaliers, Pacers, Bucks, Heat and Magic.

But it's hard to recite New York's starting lineup without thinking that Leon Rose had the Celtics in mind.

The Knicks fit together well. Towns' 3-point shot can keep Kristaps Porzingis (who is currently injured) away from the basket; Anunoby, Bridges and Josh Hart can face either Tatum or Brown without giving up much; Brunson has had enough success against Jrue Holiday to feel comfortable in this head-to-head matchup, especially since Holiday is 34 years old.

The Knicks were overwhelmed by the Celtics last season – they were 1-4 with three double-digit losses – and have an opportunity to make a statement on Day 1 with their revamped roster.

“I think it’s a big challenge against a team like that,” Bridges said. “But I feel like they’re motivated. When I listen to the coaches and their guys coming off a championship, I feel like they're still very motivated. And maybe you feel slightly disrespected in some way. So I know they're ready. And it is a big challenge for us. The plane ride is coming.”

Bridges clarified that his “disrespectful” comment was more about the Celtics fighting the perception that championship teams tend to relax immediately after final victory.

But Boston's top players have every reason to feel insulted.

Brown was snubbed for being named to the U.S. Olympic team and blamed his relationship with Nike.

Tatum sat on a bench for most of the Olympics and returned with a worse reputation despite winning gold.

They are masters, but without any confirmations.

“I’m extremely motivated for obvious reasons,” Brown said recently, “and I’m ready to get going.”

This also applies to the Knicks. Finally, their squad was put together for matches like Tuesday.

“Just to get the job done,” Towns said. “There is nothing else to think about. So we’re just figuring out how to get ourselves into the winning spots and keep counting the spots on the left side (of our record).”