The Celtics tipped off their preseason ... with a loss. (Getty Images)

The NBA is 0-1 to start the 2012-13 season. 

The Boston Celtics, who finished just one game short of winning the Eastern Conference last season, lost to Istanbul's Fenerbahce on Friday, 97-91. The Celtics have lost three in a row dating to last season, with losses to the NBA champion Miami Heat, and Fenerbahce. 

So that happened. 

The Celtics trailed the entire game, as Bo McCalebb dominated inside and out, getting to the rim whenever he wanted. McCalebb and Sato had 45 for Fenerbahce. Boston clearly wasn't invested in winning the first preseason contest, as Doc Rivers kept the starters out the entirety of the fourth quarter. 

It's a preseason game and it meant nothing, but obviously not the way you want to start. Most notably, the Celtics' pick-and-roll and at-rim defense was a ... how to put this ... nightmare, and it's clear that Fab Melo is every bit the raw rookie we thought he might be. He had some nice blocks but a lot of missed rotations and fell for any pump fake thrown his way. But then, it's his first NBA preseason game, so not like there's a lot of worry there. 

But Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger provided bright spots. Green's athleticism looked very much in place, as did his conditioning, showing no rust from being gone from the game for a year. Green scored at will and played well in transition. Sullinger gave the savvy play under the basket he was known for in college. He may wind up leading the Celtics in rebound percentage, which isn't saying much as the C's looked dreadful on the glass. 

This game meant nothing to the Celtics, everything to Fenerbahce, and doesn't tell us much of anything about the Celtics' season. But it does make for a fun story,