If not for the Celtics’ late-game heroics, Kyrie Irving (crowd antics aside) would have been the story. And he still may be, writes SIChrisMannix
BOSTON – It was over. At least it should have been. With just a few minutes to go in Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against Brooklyn, the Celtics were on the verge of kicking the game away. A 15-point lead had evaporated. Kyrie Irving, New England’s favorite villain, got hot. Kevin Durant made a couple of shots, too. Boston’s crunch-time offense, a weakness in an otherwise stellar second half of the season, looked ragged.
Here’s how it played out: A shade under 40 seconds to play and the Nets up one, Brooklyn had the ball and was looking for the dagger. They looked to Irving, who had 39 points in his return to Boston. He was bottled up. They got the ball to Durant, the Nets’ impossibly long superstar who was matched up with Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ equally long star. Tatum had already blocked one of Durant’s shots earlier.
Boston rebounded. Ime Udoka declined to call a timeout. “I tell the guys all the time,” said Udoka. “If we have an advantageous position, I won’t call a timeout.” Jaylen Brown collected an outlet and drove baseline. Nothing. Brown swung it across the court to Smart. Smart, 4-for-9 from three-point range, got two Nets defenders to bite on a pump fake. Driving, Smart spotted Tatum. “Last second,” Smart said.
What a finish. Officially, Nets-Celtics is a 2-7 matchup. But rarely has a No. 7 seed been this dangerous. Brooklyn won 44 games and needed a win over Cleveland in a play-in to get into the playoffs, but come on—this was Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets aren’t a threat to win a couple of games. They are a threat to win a championship.
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