NEW YORK – So now we know why the Celtics did not try to avoid the Nets in the first round, did not drive out the season finale (hello, Milwaukee), did not care about the results of the game – as a high school student doing SAT. Brooklyn had stellar power, but no system. An explosive violation that turned out not to be a prayer against the NBA’s most expensive defense.
Boston took game 3 of their series from the first round against Brooklyn, grabbing a 3-0 lead. The first quarter was close. Jason Tatum is on fire for the Celtics. Kyrie Irving and Bruce Brown wore the Nets. Both teams fired 50% of the floor. After a second quarter back and forth, Boston entered the locker room with three.
The Nets had to stay there. Two minutes after the third, the Celtics increased their lead to 10. Brooklyn returned several times. Brown, the Boston-born guard, scored a record 26 for the team. Nick Claxton added 13 points and seven rebounds. But the Nets were catching on. At the end of the third quarter, Steve Nash inserted Blake Griffin, who had not played a significant minute for more than a month. Griffin knocked down a pair of threes and two free throws in his eight minutes. He was also chased relentlessly at the defensive end and ended his stay with minus four.
“It’s disappointing,” said Steve Nash. “Obviously we didn’t play a good game.”
The Celtics are already one win away from advancing and this team seems ready to make a series. Boston’s defense is suffocating. They made 21 turns on Saturday, scoring 37 points. Irving finished with 16 points, missing all seven threes. Durant’s latest stat line looks decent – 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists – but for the third straight game Durant looked like a pedestrian. In the middle of the second quarter he made three attempts with a goal field. He didn’t break double digits deep into the third. After making 20 free throws in Game 2, Durant made his first attempt at the end of the fourth.
“Just a nasty game, man,” Durant said. “Stupid game.”
Brad Penner / USA Today Sports
what is the deal Durant has played in dozens of playoff series in his career. This may be his worst. He made five turns in game 3, in the third consecutive game he kicked five or more. He was overtaken in the first half by Peyton Pritchard. Brown tried eight more shots than him. After failing to strike in the second half of Game 2, Durant made no official attempt in the last 11 minutes of Game 3.
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“I just think too much to be honest,” Durant said. “This whole series … the first two games I was trying to be too aggressive. A team burdens me, takes me out of all my actions, I had the feeling that I was trying to impose it. My approach to this game was to play against everyone. Enter the stream of crime. Let the ball move and find me … I felt we had a good flow. ”
Part of that is Durant. He must be better. But his coach doesn’t help. “I don’t think fatigue has occurred,” Durant said. GOOD. But Durant played 46 minutes on Saturday. He played 42 in Game 2 and 41 in Game 1. In the last six games of the regular season, Durant has averaged 42. Boston has sent waves of physical defenders to Durant, from Tatum to Jaylan Brown to Grant Williams. They drain Durant’s energy. And Nash continues to leave him on the floor.
The biggest discrepancy in this series is in the coaching box. The Udoka name dominates. This is Phil Jackson vs. John Calipari. Joe Torre vs. Grady Little. Bill Parcels vs. Rich Kotit. It became awkward. The Brooklyn disorder is a constant diet of isolation. The movement is minimal. They set up screens to create switches, but in these situations, Boston’s defense doesn’t miss a beat. Injuries to Ben Simmons and Joe Harris have crippled the depths of Brooklyn, but five minutes on Cam Thomas in the second quarter could not be worse than watching visibly exhausted Durant get confused in the final minutes.
The security of Nash’s work was not in question when he came to this series. Now it would be a miracle if he survived.
Boston will survive, it will advance, and the question is – who would you prefer to defeat them? “We play aggressively on both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “We like that, that’s what we’re proud of.” Tatum escaped a small drop in the score and scored 39 points in Game 3. Brown (23 points) often looks like the next best player on the floor. Marcus Smart continues to thrive as a playmaker, and Williams’ physique has had an impact. Celtics defender Robert Williams returned from a month-long absence from knee surgery and played 16 minutes without pain.
“Rob’s return is huge for our team,” Tatum said. “I may be Rob’s biggest fan.”
The Nets tried to achieve an optimistic tone after the match. “Now it’s about our character,” Nash said. “To dig deep and be proud.” Ben Simmons will probably make his debut in Game 4, but … come on. No team has returned from a 3-0 deficit and Brooklyn does not seem to be the first. The Nets looked like the boogieman entering the postseason. The Celtics are one victory away from victory.
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