Nov. 26, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) shoots a free throw against the New York Knicks during the second half at the Barclays Center. Nets won in overtime 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Deron Williams has been battling nagging injuries all season and now has revealed his wrist is next in the list of maladies that are keeping him from playing his best basketball.

“When I went up against Blake Griffin (on a dunk attempt), I landed on it…braced my fall…jammed it,” Williams said.

The injury is not a good sign for the Nets. In attempting to contend in the Eastern Conference, they clearly need their No. 1 option fully healthy.

Brooklyn’s problem is Boston’s boon. With the Celtics plodding along and fighting for position in the East, Brooklyn could be one more threat removed if Williams does further damage to the wrist. We’re not exactly hoping for that scenario, but with the uncertainty surrounding the Celtics’ fate this season, it’s a gift that a team like the Nets could be without their best player.

The Boston Celtics fell to 5-4 following a 102-97 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics, who were without their All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo because of an ankle injury, started the game slow. At halftime the Celtics were down nine points, but a strong third quarter gave them a five point lead heading into the fourth.

Poor offensive rhythm led to a scoring drought in the final quarter, and the Nets outscored Boston 28-18 in the final 12 minutes to capture the victory. Several missed free throws by Paul Pierce and Jason Terry late in the game proved pivotal in the loss. Pierce who led the Celtics with 22 points, barely missed out on a three-point play with 34 seconds left that would have tied the game. Instead, Pierce would go to the line and miss both free throws, putting a Boston comeback out of reach.

Tired legs may have become a factor in Boston’s less than stellar fourth quarter. The Celtics played last night, picking up a win against the Jazz. Boston spent most of the third quarter digging out of their halftime deficit, and it appeared they didn’t have enough left in the tank to close out the game.

With the Celtics statistically being the worst rebounding team in the league, controlling the paint was a concern against a big Nets’ team. Boston was pounded on the boards during the first-half, consistently giving Brooklyn second chance opportunities. The Nets’ front court of Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries combined for 34 points and 19 rebounds. Deron Williams and Lopez both led Brooklyn in scoring with 24 points, but it was Joe Johnson’s clutch shot with 3 minutes remaining that broke an 87-87 tie, giving the Nets a lead they would never relinquish.

While the game did result in a Boston loss, Doc Rivers should be able to take away several positives. Most notably is Leandro Barbosa, who continues to be effective in the minutes he receives. With Rondo out, Barbosa earned his first start of the year. He finished with 17 points and consistently got to the hoop in the first-half. When he moves back to the bench, Boston knows they have a reliable scorer to bring in whenever they are in need of an offensive spark.

Courtney Lee also had his best game in a Celtics’ uniform. The guard who had been struggling to fit in, nearly recorded a double double tonight with 13 points and nine rebounds. Boston fans will be disappointed in what they saw from Jeff Green however. After scoring 16 points last night against Utah, he managed to only score five tonight. He did hit a clutch three with less than a minute left to cut the lead to one though.

Boston will look to bounce back on Saturday when they next take on the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are 2-6 on the year, but are coming off a win against the Pacers. It is still unknown whether Rondo will return for the match-up against the Raptors, but the Celtics will likely choose to be cautious with it being so early in the season.

Apr 14, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Nets head coach Avery Johnson during the second half against the Boston Celtics at the Prudential Center. Boston Celtics defeat the New Jersey Nets 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The Nets now feature one of the best starting fives in the NBA.  They re-signed four of their capable starters and went out and traded Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, and change for Joe Johnson.

With the addition of Joe Johnson, the Nets now have a top-five backcourt.  Their front-line is athletic and talented.

Can Boston match up with this squad?

We’ll take a position-by-position view at how the teams matchup:

POINT GUARD:

Rajon Rondo / Keyon Dooling vs. Deron Williams / C.J. Watson / Tyshawn Taylor

Really, the Nets are deeper at this position, but we’re really opening a can of worms with a conversation of who is the better player between starter Rajon Rondo and the Nets’ Deron Williams.  Williams is a better scorer; Rondo a better passer and defender.  Both are among the top tier of point guards in the NBA, and both can even enter discussions for the greatest active point guard.

I think, really, the advantage must go here to which player best complements the rest of his teammates.  As to which guy is the correct answer to that conundrum is anyone’s guess as far as I am concerned.  Rondo makes teammates better and is a great facilitator of penetration.  Williams is better in pick and roll situations and can create his own looks easier.

At one point, I considered Williams tied for the best point guard in the league with Chris Paul, but I think Rondo, Russell Westbrook, and Derrick Rose have tightened up that comparison.

Advantage:  EVEN

May 5, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during game four of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

SHOOTING GUARD:

Avery Bradley / Courtney Lee / Jason Terry vs Joe Johnson / MarShon Brooks / Keith Bogans

The Celtics have one of the best backcourt rotations in the league, because Bradley can double up as a back-up to Rondo.  Courtney Lee is going to be a favorite of coach Doc Rivers for his great three point shooting and lock down defense.  Terry can heat things up off the bench in a hurry.

And then there is the Nets…Joe Johnson has always been a 20/5/5 type of player and is a perennial All-Star.  MarShon Brooks was an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2011-12.  Bogans is a decent shooter and above average defender.

Still, for all Joe Johnson is, I think he is slightly overrated, especially at this point in his career.  He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and that won’t happen as much with D Will running the show.  I expect Joe Johnson to further fall off, and critics will cite his age when it happens, but that won’t be the reason why.

I realize the Hawks have an All-Star backed up by a rising rookies, but the Celtics have about as good a three options as one could imagine in terms of covering all bases (Defense, shooting, ball handling).

Advantage:  Boston, by a hair

June 5, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second half in game five of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

SMALL FORWARD:

Paul Pierce / Jeff Green / Kris Joseph  vs. Gerald Wallace / Jerry Stackhouse 

Pierce is old and getting older, but Wallace is no spring chicken either.  Wallace has regressed from his days of outstanding athleticism, but is still quick afoot, and an excellent defender.  In fact, Wallace is one of the few guys in the league capable of doing a decent job covering Pierce.

Pierce is backed up by a potential sixth man of the year candidate in Jeff Green.  Green is the starting small forward of the future, and there is no way that Jerry Stackhouse can matchup against Green on either the post or the perimeter.  Stackhouse, in fact, would have enough trouble guarding third stringer Kris Joseph, so unless Wallace can find the fountain of youth and play 42 minutes a game, the Nets are going to be in trouble at small forward.

Advantage:  Boston

POWER FORWARD:

Brandon Bass / Jared Sullinger vs. Kris Humphries / Reggie Evans / Mirza Teletovic

Bass is quickly emerging as one of the better young power forwards in the league.  He’s approaching his prime, played very well in the playoffs, and signed a huge extension over the summer.  It sounds good, right?  He’s backed up by Sullinger, who at one point was considered to be a top five pick, but fell to the C’s in the late first round.  Sullinger’s scoring abilities and talents pair well with Bass, and they could see time on the court together, particularly if Doc Rivers wants to keep as much offensive talent on the floor and not replace first unit center Kevin Garnett with the inexperienced Fab Melo.

The Nets strut out Kris Kardashian, otherwise known as Humphries.  I didn’t pay a lot of attention to Humphries’ off court ridiculousness, but on the court he is a great hustle player and excellent rebounder.    Last season, Hump averaged 13.8 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game.  That’s just a lot better than Bass and Sullinger are capable of.  Humphries is backed up by bruiser Reggie Evans and the Bosnian forward Teletovic.  Teletovic shows a lot of promise and could see major minutes.  If he’s as good as billed, that means even more problems for the C’s.

Advantage:  Brooklyn

Mar 02, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) returns up court in the first quarter with New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez (11) at the TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

CENTER:

Kevin Garnett / Fab Melo / Jason Collins vs. Brook Lopez

Lopez went from a decent banger to being softer than three-ply toilet paper.  He stopped rebounding the ball and started letting the aforementioned Humphries do all the work.  That’s fine, for KG, because it means more rebounds for him.

In fact, despite the fact Lopez is a good scoring big man, I think Garnett has a huge advantage here, age notwithstanding.  He’s just a far better player even at this point in his career, and I don’t see Lopez having the mental toughness to go toe-to-toe with Garnett.  KG will intimidate Lopez and grind the Nets down in the post.  I have to say Boston has this advantage bigger than all the others, and most people would be inclined to worry most about this position.  Lopez is overrated.

Advantage:  Boston

COACHING:

Doc Rivers vs. Avery Johnson

Both are former players and good point guards, but as coaches, Doc Rivers’ edge as a player is a bit more pronounced than his skills over Johnson as a coach…Johnson is a good coach, make no mistake.

Johnson won 66 of his first 82 games as an NBA coach and took the Mavs to their first ever Finals appearance, but they lost 4-2 against the Miami Heat in 2006.  Rivers coached the Celtics to a Finals win in 2008 and has had them back strong season after season.  Both preach defense and mental toughness, things they both excelled at as players.  Both maximize the talents of all players on the roster.

Advantage:  EVEN

Outlook

Boston has an advantage at three of the five positions, with Brooklyn really only having an edge at shooting guard, and the point guard matchup being courted as a stalemate.  The coaching is negligible.  But all things considered, we have to draw the conclusion that this Celtics team could take down the Nets in a seven-game series.

Seven Game Series Prediction:  Celtics 4-2