The Nets and Celtics began game 3 of the first round of the playoffs. In this game, the two sides played unusually stiffly. Under Tatum's excellent performance, the Green Army once took a 12-point lead in the first half.
Irving teamed up with Bruce Brown to chase the score, and after halftime, the Nets trailed by only three points. In the second half, the two teams continued to fight, and the point difference was still difficult to be pulled apart. In quarter 4, Jaylen Brown teamed up with Tatum to cut points, and the Nets were in a scoring squagmire. The Celtics extended the point difference to 15 points and took the initiative. Mills and Curry shot from mid-range to extend the Nets' life. However, Durant made a mistake, and Tatum hit a free throw and was able to complete the dunk. The Celtics eventually beat their opponents 109-103, rewriting the big score to 3-0.
The Celtics narrowly beat the Nets
KD Irving 32 points, the Nets are in a desperate situation! Brooklyn without Harden really can't! Tatum set 2 records!
Durant Irving totaled 32 points
In this game, Durant and Irving both played unsatisfactory. Durant made just 11 shots, 2 of 3 from 3, 2 of 2 from the free throws, 6-of-11 from the field and 16 points, 8 boards and 8 assists, but made five turnovers and had a plus-minus of -2.
Durant was packed
Durant faced an opponent's bag-and-neck defense all over the pitch, and he struggled to get an easy chance to score. In the final 11 minutes of the campaign, Durant made 0 shots. As the league's top scorer and the Nets' chief scoring maniac, KD lacks offensive aggression in this battle and does not have a strong desire to win.
Nets star Kyrie Irving was 6-of-17, 7-of-7 from three-point range, 4-of-4 from the free throws, and had just 16 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, 2 turnovers, plus-minus -3.
Irving singled with the ball
In the second half, Irving scored only 6 points of 2 of 6. Irving only shot about 30% of the time in this game, and the three-point shot was nothing. Irving wasted a lot of ball possession and offensive opportunities, which was the main reason for the Nets' defeat.
Durant and Irving, two stars, only scored 32 points in this game, and the collective loss of the two is an important reason why the Nets have no chance to reverse.
Durant and Irving
The Nets are in a desperate situation
After the loss, the Nets trailed their opponents by a score of 3-0. The Nets will need to win four consecutive games in this series to advance to the second round. The Celtics, on the other hand, only need to win one more game to reach the semifinals. The Nets lose one more game and they're out. The current situation, for Brooklyn, is a hopeless situation. The Nets, which are regarded as the favorites to win the championship, are now on the precipice of being eliminated, which is lamentable.
Nets Durant
The Nets really can't do without Harden
It seems that the Nets really can't do without James Harden. In the regular season, James Harden applied to be traded to the 76ers. Philadelphia now leads the Raptors 3-1 in the first round and is likely to advance to the second round.
76ers star James Harden
In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, the Nets beat the Celtics 4-1. James Harden, in this round of the series played a stunning performance. In the first round of last season's playoffs, Harden's five-game stats against the Celtics were as follows:
G1: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, G2:20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, G3: 41 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, G4:23 points, 5 rebounds, 18 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, G5:34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.
Harden exploded against the Green Army in the first round of last season's playoffs
Ha scored 27.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 2 steals and 1.2 blocks, leading the Nets to an easy 4-1 victory over the Green Army. When Harden was on the floor, Durant and Irving also played more easily and efficiently. Durant averaged 32+7 per game and Irving averaged 24+6 per game. Harden is the player who played best in the series.
Harden, Durant and Irving during the Nets
And this season, when facing the Celtics, whose lineup has not changed much, Irving and Durant have not had the support of James Harden and have performed worse. Durant averaged 22 points, 5 boards and 5 assists in 3 games in this series. Durant's scoring average is a career-low, and shooting just 36.5 percent is a career low (except for his rookie season).
Irving averaged 22 points, 5 boards and 5 assists per game in this series, but shot 44% from the field (a career low) and 33% from three-point range (a career-low).
Durant and Irving
Without James Harden's containment, Durant and Irving are under more pressure on the offensive end. At the same time, without James Harden's tandem team, Durant and Irving's organizational responsibility is also greater. Irving and Durant encountered the Celtics' crazy package in this series, the physical energy was greatly consumed, and the data and efficiency also declined, thus highlighting the importance of Harden to the Nets. The Nets, who are about to be eliminated, are likely to stop in the first round. It seems that the Nets really can't do without Harden.
The Nets' Big 3, Harden, Durant and Irving
Tatum set 2 records
Celtics star Jason Tatum played a perfect performance in G3. Tatum shot 13-of-29 from the field, including 4-of-13 three-pointers and 9-of-10 from the free throw line, and scored 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals.
Tatum also set 2 big records in this battle. No. 1, Tatum is the third player in NBA history to cut at least 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals in the playoffs, the first two being Jordan (40+15+9+6) and Rick Barry (39+5+11+8).
Tatum set a record
Second, Tatum is the first player in Celtics history to cut at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in the playoffs.
Tatum set 2 records in 1 game. Tatum's brilliant play in this series even suppressed Kevin Durant, which is the key to the Celtics' victory of the match point.