Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics: 3 bold predictions for the series

After the first round of the play-in tournament, the Brooklyn Nets finally have their first-round matchup set.

They will face the division rival Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum fresh off of a 50-point performance against the Washington Wizards, as the C’s bucked up to get back to the postseason after a tough campaign.

The Brooklyn Nets had success against the Celtics this year, as they won all three matchups. It has been a disappointing season for the Celtics, as they were expected to be a top-four seed in the East by most pundits this year.

The Nets are slated to start their first round series on Saturday in Brooklyn. It is widely expected that the Nets will take care of a Celtics team without Jaylen Brown.

I won’t say that the Celtics will shock the Nets, but here are three bold predictions for the first round series between the division rivals.

3. Celtics Will Win the First Game of the Series

The Nets are favored in the series, and the same goes for Game 1 on Saturday. The Nets are eight-point favorites for the opening game of the series. However, I would not be surprised if they lost Game 1.

When the series kicks off this weekend, it will be six days since the Nets last played a basketball game. I expect the Nets to come out with some rust and not necessarily be clicking on all cylinders to start off the game.

Even without Brown, the Celtics have more than enough firepower to steal a game in the series. The Celtics are led by Tatum, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, which should be more than enough talent to steal Game 1 of the series if BK is caught off guard.

2. Jayson Tatum Will Drop 50 Points in a Game This Series

In the biggest game of the season, Tatum came out and dropped a 50 piece on the Wizards. Why can’t he do it again?

The Wizards are a below-average defensive team, as they were ranked 20th in the league in defensive rating. The Nets are somehow a worse defensive team, as they ranked 22nd in the league in the same metric.

The Nets are a potent offensive team, but no one is scared of their defensive potential.

The one thing that could slow this feat down is if Kevin Durant spends a lot of time guarding Tatum. But the Nets will need Durant on the offensive end, so he can’t spend an entire game guarding the Celtics’ best player.

I expect the Nets to throw a lot of different bodies at Tatum, but there will be at least one game where he will be unstoppable.

1. The Big 3 Will All Average 30 Points Per Game

None of the big three averaged more than 26.9 points per game this season. The Nets are a really deep team, but in the playoffs, the best teams rely on their best players, and the Nets will be no different.

Harden and Durant have both averaged 30 points per game in a postseason before. Durant has done it twice, once in 2013 with the Oklahoma City Thunder and again in 2019 with the Golden State Warriors. Harden also did it during his 2019 playoff run with the Houston Rockets.

Kyrie has never achieved this feat, but he is coming off an historically efficient season. He joined the 50-40-90 club, which is 50% from the floor, 40% from three and 90% from the free throw line. He has never played on a team that is as top heavy and as a deep as the Nets. This, as a result, should allow him to reach career highs in his postseason numbers.

The Nets are one of the NBA’s greatest offenses of all time, averaging 118.6 points per game this season. The Nets are finally healthy and will come into the series well rested. Even if Brooklyn doesn’t sweep the Celtics in this series, the Big 3 will look dominant from the moment the ball tips at half court.

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