There’s sports fandom, and then there’s Boston homerism. There’s a stark difference. And Brooklyn Nets fans are about to experience that during the first round of the playoffs.
After taking down the Washington Wizards in the play-in game (nice job, guys), the C’s will head to Brooklyn to face the Nets at the Barclays Center on Saturday to get things started.
After all that’s happened this season, you’d think Celtics fans would know better. Their team was among the most disappointing in the NBA, finishing 36-36 and seventh in the East. The East!
They traded for Evan Fournier for some reason. Jaylen Brown is out for the remainder of the year. Kemba Walker has (largely) been a disappointment. Yet, fans at the TD Garden on Tuesday night were chanting “We Want Brooklyn!” as the game neared its conclusion.
Boston Celtics fans embarrassed themselves, and now the Brooklyn Nets will finish the job.
The audacity. Every fan rightfully has confidence in their squad heading into any playoff series, but do you really want to bring on arguably the best team in the NBA? The Nets finished second in the conference despite dealing with injury troubles all year and changing the entire complexion of their roster.
Now, they’re getting back James Harden for this series, and will (likely) have their Big 3 on the floor for the entirety of this series after they played a total of seven games together all season.
Did Celtics fans forget the Nets wiped the floor with them during the regular season? Here are the results from the three meetings:
- Dec. 25: 123-95, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 37 points
- March 11: 121-109, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 40 points
- April 23: 109-104, Joe Harris led all scorers with 23 points
Kevin Durant played in a grand total of zero of those games and Harden only played in one. Yeah, we’d recommend not coming for Irving, either, since he effortlessly cooked you.
The Nets couldn’t be less sorry he wasn’t as good for your team. Maybe that’s because head coach Steve Nash lets him play freely as opposed to a stiff offensive system that’s employed in Boston.
Not to mention, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said he has a hard time seeing the Nets losing! Your own coach!
Boston’s been unable to put it together in 2020-2021 despite reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year. They finished behind the Knicks and Hawks, too. Meanwhile, the Nets dealt with countless injuries, constant roster changes, and some off-court incidents and still managed to coast their way to 48 wins.
You want Brooklyn? OK. Coming right up.
Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics: 3 matchups that will decide series
The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics could make for some of the more interesting individual matchups you'll find in any first-round playoff series.