Nobody anticipated it would be so easy. The Brooklyn Nets weren’t an ordinary seven seed. They had two of the best players in the world in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They were supposed to be getting former all-star Ben Simmons back, whenever he decided he was ready to play. This was going to be one of the tougher first-round series in recent memory, possibly going six or seven games. And yet, the Boston Celtics didn’t seem to listen. After a dramatic buzzer-beating win in Game One, they went to win the next three, sweeping a Brooklyn team that many people pegged as the preseason championship favorites. It was not a stress-free series; in addition to winning Game One on a last-second Jayson Tatum layup, the Celtics trailed by as many as 17 points at home Game Two before coming back and winning. Then they needed to weather the storm of road games at the Barclays Center in Games Three and Four. Their four victories in the series were decided by a difference of only 18 points. The Celtics became the first team in the NBA to win their first-round playoff matchup, and now get a week to look ahead to Round Two.
After finishing the regular season with 26 wins in their final 32 games, and leading the league in net rating over that time span, the Celtics established themselves as one of the league’s premier teams. Their number one ranked defense was on full display in Round One, as they held Durant, one of the most legendary scorers in NBA history, to just 37 percent shooting from the field. The Celtics swarmed the 6 feet 11 inches “slim reaper” all series, switching multiple defenders on him, and taking away his time and space to make shots.
Despite Durant’s dividual struggles, the Nets still shot over 57 percent from the field, as role players like Bruce Brown, Nic Claxton and Seth Curry got plenty of looks. But after struggling mightily to win close games early in the year, the Celtics swept their first-round matchup largely because they kept cool and didn’t let the game get away from them in crunch time. In the final minutes of Game Four, Tatum fouled out and it looked like the Nets might’ve had a chance to tie or win the game. Still, the Celtics kept calm, got a few stops on defense, and made their free throws to salt away the game and the series.
So, what’s next for the Celtics? Boston will be playing the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semifinals. The Bucks will not be an easy out. They are led by superstar and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 50 points in a closeout Game Six last year to bring Milwaukee its first championship in half a century. A caveat is that the Bucks will not have their number two scorer, Khris Middleton, who is out with a MCL sprain and has been ruled out for the series.
The Celtics got a big lift in Round One, when center Robert Williams was able to come back on limited minutes after recovering in remarkably quick time from his meniscus tear. With Williams healthy, the Celtics are formidable opponent for whomever they take on.