The NBA playoffs continued, and the Nets' game against the Celtics G1 officially began. After the game began, the two teams played very fiercely, showing great resilience at both ends of the attack and defense. The two teams on the offensive end played not only fast, but also very efficiently. In the first quarter, the Celtics led by one point. The second quarter ended, and the two teams were drawn. However, after entering the second half, the Celtics slowly grasped the initiative on the court. At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics extended their lead to double digits. Although the Nets once caught up with the score in the final quarter, the Celtics withstood the pressure to win the Nets 115-114 in the final game, leading 1-0 in the series.
Objectively speaking, there are only two reasons why the Celtics can win this game. First: The Celtics' rebounding advantage is too pronounced. The Celtics grabbed 43 rebounds in the game, and the Nets only grabbed 29 rebounds in the whole game. Second: Tatum played normally again in this game. Tatum played 44 minutes and shot 9-of-18, including 3-of-7 from three-point range and 10-of-12 from the free throw line, and got 31 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. In addition to Tatum's offensive efficiency, the Celtics have three players who have scored more than 20 points: Brown 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Horford 20 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists, and Smart 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Okay, after talking about the Celtics who won, let's talk about the Nets who lost. As for where the Nets lost this game, I will not give you a detailed account here, and this article I want to focus on Irving, Durant, Nash these three people. I can sum up these three people in one sentence: "Owen has no reservations, Durant tried his best, Nash will only chicken soup for the soul?" ”
First of all, Irving played 42 minutes in this game, 12 of 20 shots, including 6 of 10 three-pointers, 9 of 9 from the free throws, and got 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 1 block of comprehensive data, plus-minus +6. Fans who have watched the game will know how hard Irving played this game and how actively the offense was. On the offensive end, Irving will shoot resolutely whenever he has the opportunity, especially when playing defensive counterattacks and one-on-one. To put it bluntly, although the Nets lost this game, Irving made the Celtics suffer on the offensive end.
After Irving, let's talk about Durant. Durant played 41 minutes in this game, shooting 9-of-24, including 1-of-5 from three-point range and 4-of-5 from the free throw line, and got 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Yes, Durant's offensive efficiency in this game is really not high, but Durant has really tried his best in this game. To put it bluntly, we can't just look at Durant's offensive shooting rate but also look at the defensive pressure that Durant encountered, but also see how Durant responds to the game in the decisive moment, and it is appropriate for Durant to use the word "best" to describe.
I believe that the fans who see here will definitely ask, if Durant and Irving are so good, why did the Nets lose the game? In fact, the answer to this question is very simple, that is, Nash's adaptability is really poor. Two simple examples. First: What the Celtics saw during the suspension was the head coach spending tactics non-stop, and Nash said chicken soup for the soul during the suspension, without any practical significance. Second: Tatum's killer ball. In the final decisive moments, Nash's defensive strategy was not obvious, resulting in Tatum's killer shot in the final 0.6 seconds. Again, but if Van Nash's strain can stand out a bit, then the Nets may not lose the game.
Speaking of which, I can't help but think that the US media predicted that the Celtics would eliminate the Nets 4-2 before the playoffs began. Previously, I didn't believe this prediction, but after the G1 race, I believed it, after all, Nash's coaching ability is really a bit unflattering.