Boston Sweeps Brooklyn In A 116-112 Game 4 Win & Rolls To The Second Round Of The Playoffs

 

    Who had the Celtics being the only team to sweep their opponent (the Nets) in the first round of the NBA playoffs this postseason? What seemed hard to believe came true tonight at Barclays Center as Boston held off Brooklyn 116-112 to abruptly end the series 4-0 in favor of the C's. If you were worried about how the Celts would do in close games, this was the fourth time already this postseason that the contest was decided by single-digits. The Nets knew that it was over before this one had even started but they made it interesting in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Celtics 34-26. Boston advances to the second round for the fifth time in the last six seasons where they will likely face the Bucks who lead the Bulls 3-1 with Game 5 in Milwaukee on Wednesday night (7:30, TNT).  

    Just like Nets point guard Kyrie Irving (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) in Game 1, power forward Kevin Durant exploded for 39 points along with nine assists and seven rebounds. It took Durant 31 shots to get 39 points and he was 3-for-11 on three-pointers but it was still by far his best performance of the series. Likewise, Brooklyn's shooting guard Seth Curry added 23 points in his top outing in the four games. Power forward Nic Claxton had 13 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals but he broke Shaq's infamous playoff record by missing his first 10 (!!!) free throws of the night. Point guard Goran Dragic (10 points, 8 rebounds) was also good off of Brooklyn's bench one last time. 

    For Boston, shooting guard Jaylen Brown notched 22 points and eight rebounds while point guard Marcus Smart was great with 20 points, 11 assists and five rebounds and ageless center Al Horford added 13 points and six rebounds. Boston's bench was led by power forward Grant Williams (14 points, 3 blocks) and point guard Derrick White (9 points, 6 rebounds). The Nets certainly didn't want to go back to Boston for pointless Game 5 and for the first three quarters, the Celtics made sure of that. The C's led 30-26 after the first quarter and 58-50 at halftime. The C's were up double-digits going into the fourth quarter, as they led 90-78. Boston scored 12 more points in the paint than Brooklyn (44-32) and they grabbed seven more rebounds overall (45-38) including five more defensive boards (35-30) and two more offensive boards (10-8). 

    Considering that Milwaukee has blown out Chicago in the last two games, I fully expect them to beat the Bulls on Wednesday but it would be nice to see Chicago extend the series (don't count on that) and give Boston a little more rest not that they really need it after a sweep. Regardless whenever it starts, a Celtics-Bucks playoff series would be epic. Giannis is the best player in the world right now and even with shooting guard Khris Middleton-their other All-Star-out, Milwaukee is still the defending champ and a team that has given the Celts problems for years. This is why Boston pushed for that two-seed though, they will have home court for the next series which as we all know is typically a huge factor in the NBA playoffs.

The Celtics Have Officially Broken The Nets, Taking A 3-0 Series Lead With A 109-103 Game 3 Victory

 

    So it turns out that we should not have feared the Nets at all this postseason. They are complete frauds as proven by Boston's 109-103 win tonight in Game 3 of the first round at the Barclays Center to take a 3-0 series lead. Boston's superstar swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 39 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, career-high 6 steals) was absolutely brilliant, shooting guard Jaylen Brown added 23 points, five assists and two steals while point guard Marcus Smart notched 14 points, six assists and two steals. Both of Brooklyn's stars were nowhere to be found as power forward Kevin Durant was held to 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and point guard Kyrie Irving had a similarly uninspiring performance of 16 points, nine assists and three steals in a must-win situation. Game 4 is Monday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at Barclays, you can hear the Nets mumbling "1-2-3 Cancun" already while head coach Steve Nash prepares to return to broadcasting Champions League soccer or some other random gig. 

    Given that no NBA team has ever rallied to win a playoff series when they have trailed 0-3, you figured that Brooklyn would show at least a little pride and play with some urgency from the start tonight. Not so much as Boston led 30-25 after the first quarter and 53-50 at halftime. The C's owned the third quarter (28-22) and hung on in the fourth quarter as the Nets made some three-pointers in garbage time to outscore them 31-28 in the final frame. One of the big storylines of this contest was the juxtaposition of Celts center Robert Williams returning less than a month after arthroscopic surgery on his knee while Ben Simmons continues to appear exclusively on Brooklyn's bench in his cartoonish outfits. Haha we'll see if he still returns in Game 4, what's the point? 

    Boston didn't get as much from their role players in Game 3 but those guys still made some valuable contributions: power forward Daniel Theis had nine points and six rebounds, center Al Horford's (2 blocks) lone basket was a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter, point guard Payton Pritchard notched 10 points off the bench for the second game in a row and power forward Grant Williams put up seven points and five rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. Dorchester native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown was great yet again as he submitted a career-high for the second straight game with a team-high 26 points, eight rebounds and two steals, shooting guard Seth Curry had 10 points, center Nic Claxton (who should be starting!) added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench while veteran point guard Patty Mills notched 12 points as a substitute. 

    Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has made Nash look like a fool in these first three games. I loved Nash as a player but he is so overmatched in this situation, he rolled with the same lineup in Game 3 and he appears incapable of making any type of in-game adjustments. Then again, what do you expect from a guy that had never been a head coach before this? Boston's defense was really good as they had six more steals than Brooklyn (13-7) and four less turnovers (18-14). The Celtics just outworked and outhustled the Nets, as they posted eight more points in the paint (50-42), 16 more fast break points (25-9) and 12 more points off turnovers (37-25). All three games in this series have been decided by single-digits but there has been no doubt who the better team is. Monday should be fun as I fully expect Brooklyn to fold like you read about.

Trailing By 17 Points, The Celtics Rallied For A 114-107 Win In Game 2 Vs. Nets & 2-0 Series Lead

 

    It took them awhile to get started as they trailed by nine points after the first quarter (33-24) and by 10 points at halftime (65-55) but when the dust settled on Game 2 of the first round tonight at TD Garden, the Celtics came out on top of the Nets by a score of 114-107. With that result, Boston held serve to take a 2-0 lead in the series which heads to Brooklyn this weekend. As you can tell, this was not easy by any means for the Celts who were down by as much as 17 points (62-45) late in the second quarter but they stuck with it and eventually wore down the Nets. Game 3 at the Barclays Center on Saturday night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) is obviously a must-win for front-running Brooklyn since no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit. 

    Nets star power forward Kevin Durant scored a game-high 27 points but that is pretty misleading since he was once again ice cold from the floor (4-for-17) and had a game-high six turnovers but he made a living at the free throw line (18-of-20). Brooklyn's other star-point guard Kyrie Irving-was nowhere to be found as he put up a pathetic 10 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes. Boston native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown opened the game on a personal 9-0 run and he parlayed that into an excellent performance: 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Shooting guard Seth Curry was good for Brooklyn with 16 points and off the bench point guard Goran Dragic remained lethal with 18 points. 

    I said after Game 1 that the Celtics have more depth than the Nets and they proved it this evening since all five starters scored at least 12+ points and two of the three bench guys also added double-figures. Boston's star shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 22 points, six assists and three steals while their other star-small forward Jayson Tatum-struggled with his shot (5-for-16) but still put up 19 points, a game-high 10 assists and six rebounds. Center Al Horford predictably wasn't as good as he was in Game 1 but he still managed to get 16 points, six rebounds and two steals while power forward Daniel Theis was better with 15 points and six rebounds. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart notched 12 points and five assists. Given the stage, power forward Grant Williams had his best game as a Celtic with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 32 very productive minutes off the bench and even second-year point guard Payton Pritchard gave them a lift with 10 points in 16 minutes as a substitute. 

    They had an extra day off between Games 1 and 2 but KD was still in a funk and Kyrie played like he couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. If both of those guys have off nights then the Nets have virtually no chance to win against the more focused and locked in Celtics. Head coach Ime Udoka (who should have been one of the three nominees for NBA Coach of the Year) must have made some good adjustments at halftime as the C's were a different club in the second half. They outscored the Nets 30-25 then knocked them out in the fourth quarter (29-17) in front of Coach K and McLovin among other random celebrities. 

    For the game, Boston shot nearly six percent better from the field (52%-46.1%) and they had 11 more assists (27-16) than Brooklyn. As we thought, the Celts are a true team while the Nets are just a collection of big name talent surrounded by the island of misfit toys. For many reasons, a Celtics win in Game 3 would be huge; I don't want to completely look past the Nets yet since both Games 1 & 2 were decided by single-digits and you have to believe that Durant at some point will look like one of the best players on the planet. With that said, Boston's defense is superior to Brooklyn's which gives you confidence even away from the friendly confines of the juiced up Garden. If Boston can go up 3-0 in the series, I can definitely see Brooklyn completely folding and getting swept like you read about. For now though, let's just be happy that the Celts are up 2-0 and they haven't even played a complete game against the Nets.

Tatum Remains Out While Embiid & The 76ers Beat The Celts Again, Boston's Third Straight Loss

 

On Wednesday and tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics (8-6 overall, 4-4 away) did their best to ensure that Sixers (11-5 overall-best record in the East, 9-1 home) superstar center Joel Embiid (38 points, 11 rebounds) will be the Eastern Conference Player of the Week when that meaningless honor gets announced on Monday afternoon. In the two games, he combined for 80 points and 21 rebounds, is that good? Philadelphia won both meetings including this evening's 122-110 beatdown. Boston's superstar forward Jayson Tatum is still out as he recovers from a bout with Covid-19 but he's been practicing lately so the hope is that he can return to a game possibly as early as Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) vs. Cleveland (8-7) at TD Garden. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown tied his career-high with 42 points and he added nine rebounds but he couldn't do it all by himself for the Celts. 

    The losses to one of their biggest rivals were disappointing enough along with their first three-game losing streak of the season but the C's also saw their solid rookie guard Payton Pritchard leave with a scary looking right knee sprain. It happened on an awkward play as Brown fell onto Pritchard's knee while they were both going for a rebound. I am not a medical expert but with the way that Payton reacted to his injury and how slowly he went off the court with the help of Celtics trainers and the team doctor, it didn't look promising. We'll see what the diagnosis is but I'm guessing that he won't be in action anytime soon. Sigh. No matter who Boston tries to throw against Embiid-Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Daniel Theis or Robert Williams (who made his first appearance since Jan. 6 after he went down with the coronavirus)-it hardly mattered. Nobody on the C's has a chance to stop a motivated Embiid who only had to play 30 minutes in this one. Say what you want about Dwight Howard (12 rebounds, 3 steals) but he's a pretty decent backup center and also someone that the Celtics could have signed in free agency. 

    It wasn't all the Embiid show (OK, it mostly was) but Philly featured some nice performances from power forward Tobias Harris (23 points, 8 rebounds)-who I still think is one of the most underrated players in the league-point guard Ben Simmons had a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists while shooting guard Seth Curry (15 points) showed no ill effects from Covid-19 as he is the top 3-point shooter in the NBA at the moment. PS how confusing must it have been to have two brothers with such similar names like Seth and Steph (Curry) growing up in the same house? I wouldn't say that the Sixers have a great bench but they outscored Boston's 26-22. 

    Guard Marcus Smart (20 points, 7 assists, 2 steals) usually puts up good numbers when he gets to start but that doesn't mean it's his most effective role since he shot 7-for-17 from the field in a team-high 39 minutes. Point guard Kemba Walker (19 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) posted his same scoring total from Wednesday but he was able to play seven more minutes which means that his worrisome knee is responding well to the stem cell procedure he underwent in the off-season. After a strong first quarter where they outscored the Sixers 33-25, Philadelphia took over in the second quarter (24-19) although Boston still hung on to a slim 52-49 lead at halftime. The 76ers exploded for 42 points in the third quarter when the Celts could only manage 28. Boston got as close as four points (101-97) midway through the fourth quarter but Smart missed a layup and that was it since Boston could never find a way to slow down Philly's offense. 

    The Sixers shot a whopping 10% better than the Celtics from the field (55.6%-45.6%) and they grabbed 13 more rebounds (45-32) including 13 more defensive boards (35-22). The most important thing for the C's is to get the hell out of Philly and away from all of their delicious cheese steaks. You probably don't know it (and why should you?) but the Cavs might actually be decent for the first time in years. They are only a half game behind Boston after this mini-slump so Sunday's first meeting of the season is sneaky important for both clubs. UConn's Andre Drummond is one of the best centers in the NBA and guard Collin Sexton is quickly becoming a star for Cleveland in his third year in the league. What I'm trying to say is that make sure Celts-Cavs is the first channel you changed to when Bills-Chiefs goes to a commercial or at halftime. It certainly doesn't have the same high stakes or sheer entertainment factor of the AFC Championship Game (remember those?) but it is a tasty appetizer on a cold Sunday night in late January.

UPDATE 1/23/21: The Celtics official Twitter account sent an update about Pritchard tonight. An MRI conducted on him earlier today revealed that he has a Grade I sprain of his right MCL. "Pritchard is expected to return to on-court activities in approximately two weeks." Whew. This could have been way worse news about the rookie guard that's been a pleasant surprise early on this season. Granted, he probably won't appear in a game for at least three or four weeks but it's way better than a torn MCL or ACL that could cost him possibly the rest of the year.