On April 24, Beijing time, the Nets lost the game 103-109 in the third game of the first round of the series against the Celtics, after which the Nets were already behind 0-3 in this series, which also means that the Nets are likely to be swept out by the Celtics in the first round of the series.
In this game, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who are the Nets' star, can not perform well enough. Among them, Kevin Durant had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists on 6-of-11 shooting in the 46-minute game, and Kyrie Irving had 16 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds on 6-of-17 shooting in 43 minutes.
In contrast, the Nets' best performer was Bruce Brown, who had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block on 10-of-19 shooting in the 40 minutes.
The 18 turnovers in the game were largely one of the big reasons the Nets lost the game, and that was the result of the Celtics' blockade of Durant and Irving on the defensive end. At least in terms of defensive intensity, the Celtics have been "invaders" in this series so far, and the Nets' mental state looks more like a "bystander" than a team against "aggression".
Durant, in particular, even though the Celtics' defense does not limit Durant's involvement on the Offensive end of the Nets (8 assists), Durant's shots are indeed too few, and he scored 16 points in 11 shots in the process, such firepower really can't give the Nets a big enough help on the offensive end.
After the game, Nets coach Steve Nash said Irving and Durant had been very tired for some time:
"Kevin must play more than 40 minutes per game in 5-6 weeks after missing 6-7 weeks to help his team qualify for the playoffs. They were both tired and Carey was fasting, which wasn't easy and I sympathized with them. ”
To be honest, it's understandable if Durant is a little tired, but Irving only played after missing half of the team's regular season because of his vaccine stance, and if it weren't for his absence, the Nets wouldn't have to make it to the playoffs in the second half of the season, and even Harden might not have asked for a trade. You know, without Harden, Durant and Irving have only a 9-9 record this season.
Coupled with the fasting "riot operation" in the playoffs, he can be said to be self-inflicted. So if the Nets end up being swept (with a high probability), Irving should definitely be the biggest sinner.