The Celtics and Nets kick off their first round series tonight, and Boston will certainly have an uphill battle in this series. Brooklyn has been a juggernaut this season, finishing with the second highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 118.6 points per game. The Nets also ranked first in field goal percentage at 49.4% and second in three point percentage, hitting 39.2% from behind the arc.
Jayson Tatum has dominated Brooklyn this season in their matchups, averaging 29.7 points across three games on 51-44-68 shooting splits. Former Celtic Kyrie Irving averaged 30.7 points with 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists against Boston this season. Irving was lights out, shooting 50.8% from the field and 50% from deep.
Brad Stevens spoke in his pregame interview about tonight’s matchup. He talked about how important matchups will be in Game 1, and which guys on the Nets roster the Celtics have to worry about outside of the big three.
The Celtics and Nets square off at 8 PM tonight on ABC.