Boston Celtics: Pros & cons of facing the Brooklyn Nets in round one

Boston Celtics v. Brooklyn Nets playoff matchup: Pros

Despite the fact that the Brooklyn Nets may appear to have an incredibly menacing roster with the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the charge, looking behind them, it’s evident that there’s quite a steep drop-off when it comes to available talent.

Sure, there are a few noteworthy names in tow such as Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond, and Goran Dragic, but, at this point in time, that’s all these players really are–names.

Each of these aforementioned players are former All-Stars, yes.

That said, it’s undeniable that they’re well past their primes, and, though they have been able to prove that they can still contribute at a solid rate on any given night, considering their age range, limited skill sets, and health concerns, the vast majority of Brooklyn’s rotation should not be all that concerning.

At least, not for the Boston Celtics.

Simply put, it would appear as though the C’s have an answer for essentially every player outside of the Nets’ two main stars.

Patty Mills, say hello to your former teammate, Derrick White.

Goran Dragic, meet Payton Pritchard.

Andre Drummond, you know Al Horford, right?

Now, granted, considering just how great the likes of Durant and Irving are, even with these equalizers, this matchup likely will not be a walk in the park for the C’s.

Having said that, top-heavy rosters will only be able to bring a team so far in the playoffs, as we’ve seen this on numerous occasions throughout the years: the 2011 Miami Heat; the 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers; the 2021 Los Angeles Lakers.

Heck, we’ve even seen the Boston Celtics succumb to this reality in recent seasons as well.

Of course, what typically makes up for a team’s lacking talent pool is tremendous coaching which, again, we’ve seen from the Celtics in past years.

However, second-year head man, Steve Nash, has yet to really show himself to be a great X’s and O’s guy, and, should Boston be able to keep Durant and Irving under control–Marcus Smart could use his DPOY-worthy skills to match up with Irving while both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can take turns guarding KD–, this could wind up putting a major dent in their hopes of a series upset.

Add all this to the fact that the Nets are just 1-3 this year against the Celtics and are 18-23 throughout the second half of the season, and it would certainly appear that, at least heading into this hypothetical series, the home team has the upper hand.