The Boston Celtics will take on faced with the challenge of potentially the most star-powered seventh seed of all time; the Brooklyn Nets. In this series, the stars will be out. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown taking on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. There is more to this series than the elite shot creators. Guys like Seth Curry and Marcus Smart will be called upon for clutch plays and the Celtics’ Bigs in Daniel Theis, and Al Horford have something to prove after Bruce Brown‘s comments after the Nets’ play-in victory. Let’s get into this Celtics VS Nets rivalry.
Limit The Role Players
Bruce Brown: “Them not having Robert Williams is huge. Now we can attack Horford and Theis.”
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) April 13, 2022
As many NBA players have stated before, stopping Kevin Durant is nearly impossible to ask out of a defense. The same can be same for Kyrie Irving with his artistic playstyle. Boston will have to do what it can with the Brooklyn duo and swarm the role players surrounding them. Celtics VS Nets is a series that a guy like Patty Mills can change if his shots are hitting. One player doing more of the scoring can shift a game.
While Smart will most likely be Irving’s primary defender and Tatum will be Durant’s, that leaves the rest of the guys to do their job. Elite switching on the perimeter and going over screens to not allow guys to have a smooth shot. However, help will always be needed when Kyrie and KD are on the court. Being able to help and sprint to guard corner threes or pass-outs must come with determination and grit.
One More Has To Arrive
Most know that Tatum and Brown have arrived and are one of the league’s best duos. They are the guys that can potentially neutralize Irving and Durant in the Celtics VS Nets series. If one of these guys has an off night, the Brooklyn duo may still be on their game. A guy like Payton Pritchard won’t be asked to get 20, but he is a great spark plug off the bench and can go on runs by himself from deep.
Al Horford also doesn’t need a monstrous 20-20 game, but setting picks to get himself an open shot when the stars get a double team helps, as long as he makes them. Most likely to step up to the plate as the third scorer is Marcus Smart or Derrick White. Look out for one of these guys to provide scoring help for the Jays.
Tatum Goes For The Throne
For many years, the team that came out of the Eastern Conference had the best player. While Jayson Tatum would be making a huge stride to become the beast of the east, he might have to if he wants to get past this round, much less the finals. This season, Tatum has been getting a lot of praise and plenty of that from Kevin Durant himself. Tatum cannot settle for mid-range jumpers or tough threes. While those can show up at some point, he needs to mimic KD. Get the shot he wants, force the defense to him to make the right play.
Kevin Durant turned on the switch late in the fourth in the Nets’ play-in game to put the Cavs away. Jayson Tatum will need that switch if it gets close. Kevin Durant will lock in when entering the clutch, Tatum cannot back down, and I expect he matches him.
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