On April 13, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs officially began, and the first to be carried out was the Nets home game against the Cavaliers. The Nets entered the state from the beginning of the game, pulled the point difference early, established a 20-point lead in the first quarter, and then the Cavaliers frantically counterattacked, at one point narrowing the point difference to 5 points, but the last moment failed to continue. In the end, the Nets beat the Cavaliers 115-108 to take seventh place in the East, and the first round will be against the Celtics.
In this campaign, the Cavaliers side of Allen is still absent, the Nets side of Simmons and Harris are absent, dragic and Curry are back.
In this game, Irving and Durant were in excellent shape from the beginning, leading the team to hit consecutive hits, and the point difference was further widened, and the Nets established a 20-point lead in the first quarter of the game. However, in the second quarter, the Nets failed to maintain their excellent hand, and the Cavaliers also managed to narrow the point gap a little, trailing by 14 points after halftime. In the second half, the Cavaliers continued to chase points, narrowing the point gap to 6 points at one point in the final quarter, but Durant suddenly regained his touch and hit two consecutive mid-range hits to help the team stabilize the situation, and the Nets successfully won the game.
The Cavaliers were originally the big dark horse team in the East, but with Allen's injury, their rankings continued to decline, and unfortunately missed the opportunity to directly advance to the playoffs. Trailing by 20 points in the first quarter, the Cavaliers didn't give up and kept narrowing the point gap, losing just seven points. The Cavaliers really tried their best this time, but they didn't end the season and still have a chance to finish eighth in the East against the winners of the Hawks and Hornets. This time Garland scored 34 points, Mobley had 19 points and seven rebounds, Love had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Markkanen had 13 points and LeVert had 12 points.
The Nets were able to win the game by relying on Durant and Irving, who combined to blast 59 points and 23 assists, not only to score themselves, but also to drive their teammates. This time, Irving played very well, hitting all 12 of the first 12 shots, 12 of 15 in the game, with a maximum of 34 points plus 12 assists; Durant had 25 points and 11 assists on 9 of 16, and three blocks, and had a brilliant performance on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. At the critical moment, it was Durant's mid-range consecutive hits that helped the team stabilize the situation.
After defeating the Cavaliers, the Nets managed to finish seventh in the East, with the first round against the Celtics, the first round of the two teams meeting for the second consecutive year. Last year's playoffs, the Celtics encountered the Big Three Nets and were completely suppressed, this time the Nets Harden became Simmons (not sure if they can play), which may also increase the Green Army's chances of revenge. This series will be in the spotlight, both teams are very good, and it is expected that both teams will play well.