It looked like the talk of the sports world would be Irving’s lights-out fourth quarter to stun a hostile crowd.
With 45 seconds left of the game, Kyrie Irving knocked down a three to give the Nets a three-point lead at the TD Garden.
However in the last moments of the game, the Nets showed their weakness on the defensive end and surrendered an easy layup on to Jayson Tatum, to give the Celtics a buzzer-beater victory, and a 1-0 series lead.
The Celtics survived a 15-2 run to start the fourth quarter. Irving put on a show in the fourth, scoring 17 in the quarter. The raucous Boston crowd went from booing and heckling to being a scared silence.
Irving flipped off fans on multiple occasions. It didn’t take away from his game, he finished the game with 39 points. However, that does not mean he was not bothered by it.
“When people start yelling ‘pussy’ or ‘bitch’ and ‘fuck you’ and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor,” Irving said to reporters after the game. “We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, fuck that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”
The Celtics executed their game in the first half. Their suffocating defense created turnovers that turned into baskets on the other end. They limited Irving and Durant.
On offense, they played fluidly with tons of ball movement.
Despite all of this, the game was tied at halftime. In large part because of the amount of fouls committed. Brooklyn ended up 16-for-17 from the line.
In the third the score began to match what was happening on the court. The Celtics were able to create a double-digit lead highlighted by a couple of three-pointers for Marcus Smart.
“He sets the tone every night,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said to ESPN about Smart in between quarters. “He’s the best defensive player in the league. If you play off of him (on the other end), he’ll make you pay. He’s a confident guy.”
Because Irving was played in the fourth quarter like the ball was on fire in NBA Jam, the Nets were up one with an opportunity to close it late. But the Celtics were able to show their growth on the defense end with this stop.
One of the reasons this series is so interesting is that these teams were assembled differently.
Brooklyn was built through the 2019 superstar free agency. Because of Durant’s desire to play in New York City, and the Knicks dysfunction heading into the period, and perhaps the New Jersey raised Irving’s childhood fandom of the Nets, the franchise had a good amount break right for them. They also helped themselves by gaining credibility with their 2018-19 playoff birth. Even though the only player that is still on that scrappy 42-win team is Joe Harris, it had a big impact on where they are today.
The roster does not have a ton of in game experience together. Durant and Irving played 523 minutes. They have talent but still figuring stuff as they go along.
On the other side, Boston drafted their three best players, four best when Robert Williams returns. A method of team building that NBA fans long-for. They have held on to their young core and the fans have watched them grow over the years. Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker have all come in gone in those years but they have held on to their homegrown talent.
So the question becomes, does the continuity help? Does the fact that Tatum, Brown and Smart have played together for five seasons matter? Let’s look at the game winning play.
Team chemistry is immeasurable. But that play showed the trust that Smart had. He could have pulled up from mid range to take a decent attempt.to not go up with it but to he saw Tatum cutting to the basket, exploiting the mismatch with Irving protecting the basket to get an easy layup after a spin.
After the game, Tatum said that he was expecting Smart to shoot it. He was only cutting to try to crash the boards.
“When he took that dribble, we just kind of made eye contact. He made a great pass.”
Udoka pointed on how that last play showed growth.
“It’s a microcosm of our season. Guys moving the ball.”
“It shows growth. We’ve gotten away from your turn my turn for the most part and we enjoy seeing each other succeed…overall that is who we have become over the last three months and I think that is why we have improved offensively.”
If you are looking at this in a optimistic light, it could be argued that the years of building trust between the two of them lead to the pass that won them the game. As fans, everyone wants to believe during the down years had meaning. That all those losing years amount to the special moments.
Maybe the chemistry is the key to the series. Or the Nets, a team full of mercenaries will win this series.
Photo Taken by Steven Senne of the Associated Press
The Efficient Shot 