As expected by many, the Brookly Nets drew first blood in their NBA Playoffs series against the Boston Celtics. But while this is looking like a one-sided series in favor of the Nets, it just doesn’t feel right to count out the Celtics, who will aim to level the series up. Check out our preview of this game below.
The Celtics kept in step with Brooklyn in the first half of their Game 1 encounter but lost grip quickly right after the half, as they took a 104-93 loss on the road last Sunday. Among the biggest problems for Boston in this series is how they can find enough scoring to match Brooklyn’s offense that features a three-headed monster in Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points in Game 1 but shot just 6 of 20 from the field, while Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker had 17 and 15 points, respectively. With Jaylen Brown done for the season, the Celtics need the others, especially Walker to step up in helping Tatum carry the burden on offense. Defensively, the Celtics can feel good about holding Brooklyn down to just 41.7 percent shooting Game 1, thanks in large part to the havoc wreaked by Robert Williams III, who had nine blocks. The Celtics are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games after a two-day rest.
It’s just not that easy to beat the Brooklyn. That trio of Durant, Irving, and Harden alternated in pummeling Boston in Game 1, which could be the case again this coming Tuesday. Durant scored 32 points, Irving had 29, while Harden finished with 21 points and nine assists. Although they shot badly in the series opener, the Nets know that when there’s an urgent need to score, they have three superstars who can deliver the goods. Although no other Nets outside of the three had more than 10 points, Brooklyn’s supporting cast found another way to help the team, like crashing the boards. Brooklyn had 50 rebounds to just 40 by the Celtics. More rebounds mean more possessions for a Nets team that was tops in the regular season with 1.2 points per possession. The Nets will look to be more accurate with their shots in Game 2, as they plan to have a much better start this time around.
The Nets are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games.
