The Brooklyn Nets secured seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 115-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA play-offs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. A series of first round playoffs with the Boston Celtics are now waiting for the Nets. Brooklyn recorded a tremendous pace with 40 points in the first quarter, so it seemed that things would get away quickly. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, continued to go around and were just six points behind in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. Kevin Durand hit a pair of traction jumps to bring the Nets back 10, 103-93, 3:38 in time. Cleveland remained within breathing distance, but did not come close enough to threaten Brooklyn’s lead. Remarkable Performers Kyrie Irving, PG, Nets: 34 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists Kevin Durant, PF, Nets: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks Darius Garland, PG, Cavaliers: 34 points, five assists, 2 steals Evan Mobley, C, Cavaliers: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks The Nets Stars Too Much for Unmanned Cavs Through all the setbacks the Nets faced this year, there was still a glimmer of hope in Brooklyn that things would start to click on after the season. When you have Durant and Kyrie Irving healthy and available, you like your chances of a playoff run of the top seven. Tuesday showed exactly why, as the couple burned Cleveland’s defense. Sometimes basketball ends up having the two best players on the floor. Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov Kyrie + KD in the first half: combined 13-of-14 shots from the floor and 4-from-4 from the line. KD has 12 and 7 assists. Kyrie has 20 points and four assists. The Nets are 14 at half time because their stars can literally not lose. Kristian Winfield #NFTAllStar @Krisplashed This is how these games should go. They are supposed to be dominant and leave no doubt which is the best team. The Nets have gone up 20 against the Cubs here at 8:45 in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn is overwhelming in Cleveland. Too many weapons in the attack. Irving, in particular, seemed to be enjoying the misery of his old team. Even when the Cavaliers had him well defended, he could not lose. There are not many stars more electric than the 30-year-old guard when he is at his best. Report Bleacher @BleacherReport Kyrie makes a SHOW. They do 40-20 after the 1st trimester. pic.twitter.com/qCQ1aFNtNe Report Bleacher @BleacherReport SIR. UNREAL.It is 9/9 at the end of the first half pic.twitter.com/JYrBJt7VxW Irving made his first 12 shots and did not watch an attempt to bounce off the edge until the fourth quarter. However, this game sent some red flags. Cleveland overtook Brooklyn in the last three quarters and the Nets had problems in the brief moments when coach Steve Nas tried to take Durand and Irving to their breath. Yaya Dubin @ JADubin5 It’s probably not good for the Nets prospects to feel nervous about them when KD sits for 4 minutes in 2Q against the Jarrett Allen-less Cavs, but they are there right now. Dan Devine @YourManDevine I imagine it’s a cold comfort when you watch two Hall of Famers give a seemingly perfect half basketball against you, but if the Cavs could just * not * go 3-for-14 out of 3, it might be in business if the Nets continue to they play with their food Every time the Cavs did a run to reduce the deficit, there was not much drama yet. Durand or Irving hit a large bucket or found an open teammate at a critical moment. Things can get a little more difficult if the Nets take their foot off the gas against a tougher opponent. Allen’s absence proves costly What could it be for Cleveland. Even if the team remained completely healthy, the Cavs had to hit a wall at some point. Sooner or later, the most experienced candidates at the conference would push them down the rankings. But Evan Mobley’s ankle injury and Jarrett Allen’s fractured finger caused JB Bickerstaff’s team to shoot. Allen remains out of action and the impact of his absence has been revealed once again. Kirk Goldsberry @kirkgoldsberry Cavs Defensive Score Before Jarrett Allen Injured: 106.5, 4th in the NBA Since then,117.3, 21st in the NBA pic.twitter.com/sqsQPJvh3J Hayden Grove @H_Grove The Cavs have run out of gas and this is a terrific match for them. Add an injury to Jarrett Allen and here we are.
It is OK! All you can ask for is a moment in a game that takes all the winners to Cleveland on Friday, given the adversity they endured at the end of this season. This game gave some positives for Cleveland. If moral victories are one thing, they certainly apply when a young team fails in the first test after the season. The degree to which the second cast played was indicative of how the playoffs – which is essentially a playoff game in this case – are a different beast. Ashley Bastock @ AshleyBastock42 The unnamed Cavs Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love are 9 out of 34 (26.5%) from the field entering the 4th quarter. The way Darius Garland put the attack on his back reinforced how he can be a cornerstone for the future of the franchise. Report Bleacher @BleacherReport Darius Garland OH MY 😳 pic.twitter.com/8UVamYSYke Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor