Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Nets Beat Cavs, Securing Playoff Rematch with the Celtics
The Cavaliers fought valiantly, cutting the deficit as low as six on multiple occasions in the final frame. But the firepower of a Nets offense led by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving proved too much to overcome.
Irving didn't miss a shot until the fourth quarter, finishing with 34 points, while Durant scored 25. That means the Nets will come to Boston for a first-round series starting Sunday. The initial expectation is for Game 1 to tip off at 3 p.m. ET.
The Celtics won the season series 3-1. That includes a Mar. 6 victory at TD Garden in which Jayson Tatum scored 54 points against a Brooklyn team that had Durant and Irving, who had missed the last two matchups against Boston.
The Nets didn't have Ben Simmons in that game, whose back injury has kept him from suiting up for his new team and caused him to miss the entire regular season and Brooklyn's play-in game. However, in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic said Simmons is "very confident that he will be able to make a return at some point in this first-round series.”
“I think Games 1 and 2 in Boston is too quick. I definitely think after that is when the window for Ben Simmons to return starts opening up. Even if he’s able to give them 15 or 20 minutes, that’s a game-changer. He can move the ball, he can rebound; a lot can happen. I’m told he is very confident he will be back.”
Before Tuesday's play-in game, Nets head coach Steve Nash said Simmons hasn’t started sprinting and hasn’t progressed beyond 1-0 workouts yet. However, as challenging as it is to miss the entire season and jump into the middle of a playoff series, even on a minute's restriction, Brooklyn would happily welcome what Simmons can provide defensively, facilitating in the open court, and as a rebounder.
It's remote, but there's also a possibility Robert Williams returns ahead of schedule. Speaking before Sunday's regular-season finale against the Grizzlies, Ime Udoka said the following.
“The four-to-six week timetable is what it is. But guys will come back in three (weeks) and stuff. Javonte Green was here and came back in three weeks and jumping out of the gym still. So everybody kind of reacts to it differently, and so we’re not ruling him out because of that, but as I’ve said, we anticipate playing the first round without him.”
Rather than losing Sunday's matchup against Memphis, which would have dropped Boston to third in the East, meaning an opening-round series against the Bulls, the Celtics played their starters, choosing not to duck the most challenging path potentially available to them.
For the Celtics to come out of the East, they'll likely have to go through the Nets, Bucks, and either the Heat or the Sixers in the conference finals. It helps that they'd have home court in at least the first two series.
And as coach Udoka said while declaring the Celtics were playing their starters against the Grizzlies, their mentality is "let's do what we do and let the chips fall where they may."
Further Reading
Celtics Earn 2-Seed; Showdown with Nets Likely Awaits
Gary Payton Endorses Marcus Smart for Defensive Player of the Year
Robert Williams Says He's in a Great Place Physically and Mentally as He Works Towards His Return
