The Boston Celtics tried in their first-round series but were too depleted to compete. The Nets’ next opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, may have a better shot.
The Milwaukee Bucks have had their heels up since May 29, when they finished off their surprising four-game demolition of the Miami Heat, the team that knocked them out of the NBA playoffs last season.
This season, the Bucks survived an overtime thriller in Game 1 before going on to blow out the Heat three times in a row in the first-round series, though they did lose Donte DiVincenzo for the playoffs with a foot injury, which will make their hopes of advancing a bit more difficult.
The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, dismissed the Boston Celtics in five relatively easy games, with only a stellar 50-point showing from Jayson Tatum in Game 3 preventing the series from also being a sweep. The Nets three stars Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden look healthy and are playing great, and they now have a few days to prepare for their showdown with the Bucks.
Jun 2, 2021
Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of
’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
In the waning minutes of Brooklyn’s 123–109 series-clinching win over Boston, the TNT cameras captured a terrifying image: Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving leaning against a table, laughing and smiling, three healthy NBA superstars seemingly in lockstep with one another. For conference rivals, that image is as frightening as it gets.
The Nets are headed to the second round after mopping up the Celtics. It was a predictable outcome. Any chance Boston had of hanging in this series evaporated when Kemba Walker and Robert Williams joined Jaylen Brown on the injured list after Game 3. Any hope the Celtics had of forcing a Game 6 in Boston was buried under an avalanche of Brooklyn three-pointers in the
NEW YORK Maybe it was Boston’s defense. It could have even been Brooklyn’s own fans.Whatever the reason, something had the Nets’ Big Three out of rhythm to start the playoff opener.Once the second half arrived, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James.