The Brooklyn Nets met the Celtics in Barclays Center to close out the series, building on their 3-1 lead. The Nets showed a slow start, but they came back soaring after a James Harden layup, a Kyrie Irving dunk, and a Kevin Durant block (on #26 Aaron Nesmith) in the initial minutes.
It was a wholesome treat to watch James Harden utilizing his offensive vision to create plays and help the score tick. Although Jayson Tatum used his impressive footwork to match the Nets, Ky’s handles proved way too good for a turnaround. As a result, the Nets took the game 123-109.
James Harden ruled the night with sheer dominance
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James Harden was very much in touch with his former self tonight. The man beat the double-team of Romeo Langford and Tristan Thompson to score a dunk that set him for the night. Later, a scuffle between Marcus Smart and The Beard intensified the game as Boston showed a fightback. But it was nothing that could stop the former Rockets player who led the game in all the departments. The 31-YO scored a 34-point triple-double with two steals and as many blocks in his 39 minutes of game-winning performance.
Twitter went crazy with the Nets’ crushing the Celtics and responded heavily with some witty reactions. Take a look:
Sneak Peak @ Brooklyn Nets 2022 City Edition Jerseys pic.twitter.com/9n1wO1LdTq
— 𝘙𝘢𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 (@Raf_Porter) June 2, 2021
Celtics have no heart the whole organization should just dissolve #BOSvsBKN
— Boston Talks (@NathanaelTusse1) June 2, 2021
Tough, tough season for my Celtics man. Injuries left and right. Regroup and come back next season.
— Jacob Woodcock (@gotwoodcock) June 2, 2021
Brooklyn Nets: *Eliminate Celtics in 5 games*
Boston Celtics fans for the next 7 months: pic.twitter.com/XwPzuGOktR
— Kyle Ledbetter (@CSM_MemesInsta) June 2, 2021
"Brad Stevens is a bottom 5 NBA coach" pic.twitter.com/sJntNWPQUZ
— Ryan Yousefi (@Rizzmiggiz) June 2, 2021
That’s Celtics Pack‼️ pic.twitter.com/CseCGd2F8U
— The Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) June 2, 2021
Jayson Tatum pic.twitter.com/qzm5nc1mAz
— DeathyDeat⚡️ (@Deathy_Deat) June 2, 2021
steve nash's playbook for the brooklyn nets pic.twitter.com/r6TKqZbfij
— 𝕮𝔬𝔲𝖗𝖙𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘 🏀 ⚽ 🏈 (@thecourtsiderss) June 2, 2021
Harden couldn’t hang in the west so he went to Brooklyn #NBA
— Mr. G (@SixSeventeen80) June 2, 2021
Oh, look. James Harden is absolutely dominating a playoff series. Funny how things (and narratives) change when you have KD and Kyrie as your two best teammates instead of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson.
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) June 2, 2021
Read more – Kevin Durant and LeBron James Lead Incredible Playoff Record Followed by Anthony Davis and Donovan Mitchell
Where did the Celtics lag against the Brooklyn Nets?
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For one, Jaylen Brown had a sluggish start with 0/5 from the three-point line and further worsened it with a 1/10 night. Plus, Jayson Tatum, their only dependable weapon, showed some issues with his leg in Q2 and perhaps that kept his movement restricted. But impressively enough, he dealt with Kyrie Irving’s defense quite well until halftime.
Jabari Parker and Romeo Langford were the only two names that helped the Celtics’ cause and very much kept them in the game until Q4. But they seemed to have no answers for the dynamic offense of the Nets.
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The Brooklyn-based team desperately wanted to win it tonight so they don’t have to unnecessarily stretch this controversy-rich series. That’s what they did and now eye a round 2 clash against the Bucks.
Watch this story – Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo & Others Who Have Had Heated Playoff Moments