This could be the end of the line for the Brooklyn Nets, who are staring at a 0-3 deficit against the Boston Celtics. No team has ever come back from that deficit in a seven-game series. Can they delay their demise by one more game, though?
Catch this game live on Tuesday, April 26, at 7:00 AM, Manila time.
Away: Boston Celtics (3-0/1-0 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Marcus Smart
- SG: Jaylen Brown
- SF: Jayson Tatum
- PF: Al Horford
- C: Daniel Theis
The Boston Celtics are looking like real title contenders. No one expected them to be up 3-0 in this series, but here they are. Jayson Tatum has been simply fantastic, and his 39 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals carried the day in Game 3. His co-star Jaylen Brown was no slouch, either, finishing with 23 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Beyond their two stars, though, the Celtics have thrived with excellent team defense. They have hounded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant mercilessly throughout the entire series. Their other roleplayers continue to contribute in every game as well, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart has made his presence felt. It also helps that they’ve gotten Robert Williams III back, because Timelord causes even more disruption.
The Celtics look to be the better-coached and better-led team in this series, and they now have four shots at going through to the next round. I think they might just seal it this time around.
Home: Brooklyn Nets (0-3/0-1 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Kyrie Irving
- SG: Seth Curry
- SF: Bruce Brown
- PF: Kevin Durant
- C: Andre Drummond
Oh how the mighty have fallen. After being preseason title favorites with their then-core of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets now find themselves one loss away from elimination.
Their offense has looked out of sorts, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving only scoring 16 points apiece in Game 3. The Nets were led in scoring by Bruce Brown, who finished with 26 points, further showing how tough Boston’s defense have been on the Nets’ stars.
Brooklyn’s hopes were further dashed by the news that Ben Simmons wouldn’t be playing in Game 4 after rumors circulated about his potential Nets debut. That seems to be on course for the Australian, who is battling with a bad back and doesn’t really look like he wants to play basketball anymore.
There also seems to be plenty of disharmony going around in Brooklyn, which is standard for any team that has Irving on its roster.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Celtics complete the sweep and cover the +1.5 spread.
Over/Under: Judging by how the Celtics are defending the Nets, the Under 220 looks good to me.
