Jacque Vaughn, Nets set to seize critical back-to-back matchups against Celtics: "It’s just a heck of a challenge for us"

Before heading to their much-awaited and rejuvenating All-Star break, what awaits the Brooklyn Nets is a challenging task to deal with as they'll face the Boston Celtics in a grinding back-to-back showdown.

This daunting pair of home and away affairs against the C's will officially commence on Tuesday. And as both urgency and pressure are now trending upward, the Nets are looking to give their best shot against the league's No. 1 team this 2023-24 regular season.

A must-win set

The Nets have met the Celtics twice already this season, but these past matches ended up giving them unpleasant results.

And with a new two-game slate approaching for them against Boston, Brooklyn couldn't even be more desperate to finally claw a win in their regular season series and beat the current 41-win, star-studded division rival.

“Yeah, it’s interesting, having the same team that you’re going to play twice,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I think overall, it’s just a heck of a challenge for us. They’ll make you focus, or you’ll pay for it on both ends of the floor. They’re just so good at manipulating matchups and using their skill set to get shots they want, and they figured out how to cover on the defensive end of the floor, guards that are big and strong and use that ability to get you where they want you. This is a game of want and purpose.”

Health is wealth

After enduring a significant time of recovery wait amongst their contributing units and seizing a roster retool starring Dennis Schroder, the Nets still have plenty of reasons to be optimistic beyond their season despite being in a tough 11th spot of the East with a 21-31 record card.

With the majority healthy and available, what matters the most for Brooklyn is to cap off their campaign on a promising high note before the All-Star hiatus.

“For us to get healthy is the most vital thing for us going forward, and it gives us a chance to figure out our combinations, who’s going to play rotations, to use our depth, and to figure out on both ends of the floor, what’s beneficial,” Vaughn said. “So it is a good sign that we’re getting healthy going into the break.”

A must-win set

Health is wealth

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