The NBA playoffs continued, and the Nets' game against the Celtics officially began. This game is crucial for the Nets, because if the Nets lose this game, it means losing the game means losing 2-0 behind the Celtics. Once 2-0 behind, it becomes very difficult for the Nets to turn over. To this end, since the start of the game, the Nets have come up with 120% of their strength to cope, the first quarter of the strike Nets lead by 9 points, the second quarter of the strike Nets lead by 10 points. However, the Celtics blew the clarion call of counterattack in the second half, playing more and more smoothly on the offensive end, and the defensive end was also very good at limiting the Nets' offensive attack. In particular, the Celtics firmly grasped the initiative on the court in the final quarter, and finally after four quarters of games, the Celtics defeated the Nets 114-107 and led 2-0 in the series.
Objectively speaking, both teams played very well in this game, and the performance of both teams at both ends of the game was very close, and the data handed over by the two teams was also very close. Rebounding: The Nets grabbed 36 rebounds, and the Celtics grabbed 36 rebounds. In terms of turnovers: The Nets made 16 turnovers and the Celtics made 16 turnovers. In terms of shooting percentage: The Nets shot 52% from the field and 47% from three-point range. The Celtics shot 52 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. From these statistics, we can see how fiercely the two teams are playing this game.
Of course, after watching this game, many fans will ask, where did the Nets lose? Who is responsible for the Nets' loss? Some fans will say that Irving, yes, this game Irving did drop the chain again, and it can even be said that he has no presence on the field. Irving played 40 minutes in the game, shooting 4-of-13, including 0-of-1 from three-point range, and only got 10 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist. Some fans said that it was caused by Durant's downturn, and it was good that Durant's performance in this game was indeed not ideal. Durant played 42 minutes in the game, shooting 4-of-17 and scoring 27 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. There is no doubt that the "711 combination" is indeed one of the factors that the Nets lost the game, but the "711 combination" is not the main factor in losing.
To put it bluntly, in my opinion, there is only one main reason the Nets lost this game, and that is the problem of head coach Nash. I will talk about it from the three aspects of suspension, tactics, and resilience. Let's start with the suspension, and to put it mildly, Nash called the time of suspension very inappropriate. Fans who have watched the game will be worth it, and the Celtics continue to chase points in the last quarter, and even have the opportunity to reverse the score. At this time, most coaches will call a timeout to stabilize the situation, and even the on-site commentator said that Nash should call a timeout. However, it was such a simple suspension that Nash did not call until after being led by Celtic by five points.
After a timeout, the Celtics sent Williams in the third quarter with the goal of three-pointers, but Nash still insisted on the defensive strategy of wrapping Tatum, for which Williams got a lot of open shots. As a result, we saw that Williams' 3-of-3 three-pointers directly became the key to the left and right games. Finally, there's the question of tactics, and I don't know if you've ever found that Nash's favorite tactic is to give the ball to Durant and give the ball to Irving. Especially in the final decisive moment, Nash only needs to give the ball to the "711 combination", and the so-called team play is completely invisible.
After losing this game, the Nets have fallen behind the Celtics 0-2, although there are many teams that have flipped the game 0-2, but for the Nets, if Nash can't change quickly, then the Nets can only think about it.