Forty-five minutes after the Brooklyn Nets beat No. 7 in a 115-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first game, Durand said his teammate “said something I did not like. Someone just told me.” The quote that infuriated Durant came as an answer to a harmless question: What’s the key to slowing down the Boston Celtics in the first round? “It simply came to our notice then [Jayson] “Tatum get 50, we have to be physically with him,” said Brown. Then came the place where Durand would have preferred not to have said: “Now they do not have Robert Williams [III]so they have less presence in the color and we can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] It is. “So not having Robert Williams is huge.” “Okay, man,” Durand said. “That’s probably talking about caffeine. It takes just before the game. The two guys can do the same thing. It won’t be that easy, I’ll tell you.” When a reporter asked Durant about his upcoming opponents, he kept it simple: Brooklyn needs to stay disciplined, play together and play with passion. Instead of talking about strategies that the Nets could use against Tatum, he said that they just have to play hard and “see what happens”. Durand did not seem to be furious with Brown. The atmosphere has come, man. “We respect our opponents,” Durand said. “We don’t need to talk, you know, what we’re going to do to them. I just do not like it, you know? But so is Bruce. You know, he comes in and says it. “But we don’t need to say shit. Let’s go out there and button up.” It is not clear whether Durant and Brown disagree about the Nets’ chances in their turn in the first round or just what they should and should not say to the media. It is advisable, however, that Brooklyn expressed confidence and attention after a game – and a regular season – that provided many reasons for both. The Nets led 40-20 at the end of the first ten minutes and then scored eight points in the next 10 and a half minutes. They made a bigger difference of up to 22 in the third quarter, only to allow Cleveland to reach six in the quarter. For Brooklyn, it is great that centers Nicolas Claxton and Andre Drummond combined for 29 points and 17 rebounds in 13-17 shots, but it is not ideal for guards Seth Curry, Patti Mills and Goran Dragic to combine for nine points and one assist in 3. -for 12 shots. The balance needed to finish the Cavs would have been more impressive if the Nets had not wasted a big lead against the same team in the same arena four days earlier. At least this time they were not left behind. Cleveland was an elite defensive team for much of the regular season, but its success was based on the fact that All-Star Jarrett Allen and Rookie of the Year promising Evan Mobley faded. The Brooklyn-winning version of the Cavs at the Barclays Center was not as suffocating, and the Celtics are almost as suffocating as possible. Boston is very superior and aggressive. If the Nets needed 42 minutes each of Durand and Carey Irving to survive Tuesday, what will it take to face the Celtics on Sunday? Durand is right: It will not be easy. Brown is also right: It would be much harder if Boston started the series with a healthy Williams. Your mileage may vary depending on how vulnerable Horford and Theis are defensively, but neither can cover the ground, repel shots or catch pods the same way Williams does. For months, the Celtics’ defense seemed almost flawless with Williams on the floor. There are now at least a few pressure points for Brooklyn to push. Cleveland played what Nets coach Steve Nash described as an “extreme” style of defense. He remained attached to the Curry and Mills, was completely exhausted against Brown, Claxton, Drummond and Kessler Edwards and sent additional defenders to Durant and Irving. “At times, we did great and we punished them,” Nash said, showing Brown’s 18-point performance, nine rebounds, eight assists and great efficiency. “We moved the ball, we played well stuck to our principles for a long time to have a 20-point lead.” Nash later admitted that “they did not play our best basketball after that”. Brown noted that he “flirted with a triple-double” again – last Friday, he had 18 points, eight assists and 10 rebounds against the Cavs – and laughed. “I’m just playing the right game, that’s all,” he said. The game is simple for him when the defense leaves him open, picks up the color and allows him to catch the ball with advantage. Brown spoke of Cleveland’s return to Brooklyn’s “careless passes” and said he was “not too worried about it”. Select the checkbox to confirm that you want to sign up.
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Irving made his first 12 shots and finished with 34 points in a 12-on-15 shot, plus 12 assists. Durand had 25 points in 9-for-16 shots and 11 assists. Many of them were tough, some with lots of defenders, and the Nets would rather not rely on their superstars to save them. Their ability to do so, however, is why Brooklyn should still inspire a healthy degree of fear. Even if the Boston change closes in on most of the Nets’ good stuff, they will have to face Durant and Irving in isolation. When hitting controversial shots over fully outstretched arms, he can not do much. On the one hand, Brooklyn has won the last four games of the regular season, taken care of the play-in jobs and maybe get Ben Simmons back sometime in the first round. Simmons, on the other hand, has not played all season, Curry is playing with an injured ankle and, with the season ending, Nash is still talking about building cohesion and learning how to play together. Boston, meanwhile, knows exactly what its identity is and what the Nets are trying to do. Her coach, Ime Udoka, was on Nash’s staff last season. “It will be a big challenge for us,” Nash said. “For a new club to go and play with such a team, this is great at both ends, it will be something we hope will bring out the best in us.” And the Celtics do not have Williams. This is huge.
