Everyone understood the difference between 0-3 and 1-2, so the Nets back at home really couldn't lose anymore, but it backfired, and the Celtics, who were playing away from home, eventually won 109-103, rewriting the series score to 3-0, and the Nets were only one game away from being swept. Even if they can win the fourth game, the Nets may not be able to escape the situation of being swept by gentlemen.
Kyrie Irving's feel continued to slump, with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 1 block on 6-of-17 shooting, including 7 three-pointers, 4 free throws, 4 free throws. Kevin Durant's overall efficiency was good, with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws. However, in such an extremely crucial game, Durant only had 11 shots in the whole game, which is really impossible to say, and there was only one shot in the last quarter of the game. Apparently, Death has not yet come.
In three games, Durant averaged 22 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 36.5% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 5.7 turnovers. The Nets' problem isn't Durant's alone, but it's an indisputable fact that Durant can't take advantage of the younger Jason Tatum.
In last season's playoffs, the Nets eliminated the Celtics by a 4-1 score, and Durant directly confronted Tatum on the offensive end for 33 minutes and 10 seconds, shooting 51.7% of 29 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, shooting 50 percent. Defensively, he was directly opposite Tatum for 35 minutes and 29 seconds, and Tatum shot 15-of-39 from the field during that time, shooting 38.5 percent from 38.5 percent, including 5-of-15 three-pointers, shooting 33.3 percent. It is not difficult to see that in the 2021 playoffs, Durant broke Tatum at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, he is the Nets' main defense of Tatum's player, while maintaining efficiency on the offensive end also limited Tatum's shooting rate.
Coming to this year's playoffs, Durant was directly opposite Tatum in the offensive end of the first three games for 26 minutes and 59 seconds, and he shot 2-of-15 from the field during that time, shooting 13.3 percent, including 0-of-4 from three-point range. On the defensive end, Durant and Tatum were directly on the same page for 13 minutes and 46 seconds, and Tatum shot 9-of-18 during that time, shooting 50% from 50 percent, including 4-of-7 three-pointers from three-point range. Unlike Durant's explosion of Tatum at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends last season, this season's Tatum blew up Durant at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, which is really a big reversal.
With injuries and age, Durant's form will get worse and worse, and the young and powerful Tatum will usher in the peak of his career. But now Durant is not so bad, if the Nets are swept or swept by gentlemen, the team management should probably consider making a certain choice, after all, the team also spent a lot of effort to form the current lineup, but this lineup is obviously not enough to help the Nets go further. Steve Nash's Nets coaching career is about to start the countdown, and even Irving's Nets career is not too optimistic.
Text/Duncan's laugh