Boston Celtics became the first team to qualify for the second round of NBA playoffs after sweeping Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets in 4 games.
Jayson Tatum had another stellar game with 29 points while Jaylen Brown finished with 22 as the Boston Celtics completed a 116-112 win at Net’s home court.
The newly crowned defensive player of the year, Marcus Smart, added 20 points and 11 assists for the No. 2-seeded Celtics, who made easy work of what was thought could be a tough series.
Kevin Durant had 39 points, nine assists, and seven boards, but even he could not overcome all the deficiencies the Nets displayed.
Seth Curry, one of the players acquired in the James Harden trade, scored 23 points while Kyrie Irving had 20 points.
The Nets were one of the most favored teams to compete for a championship this season instead their campaign will go down as one of the most famous failures in NBA’s history.
The Brooklyn-based team were constantly plagued by drama outside the basketball court.
Kyrie Irving remained unavailable for home games for much of the season because of his refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus only returning mere days out from the playoffs.
Him missing half the season indirectly contributed to James Harden asking for a trade to Philly, breaking up a trio the likes of which the NBA had rarely seen.
Their most high-profile acquisition from that trade, Ben Simmons, did not suit up this season leaving Durant and Kyrie to try and fend off an upwards trending Boston side who easily overpowered the Nets in a 4 game sweep.
Boston awaits the winner of the series between defending champs Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls with the Bucks holding a 3-1 lead in their series.
