Tag: 2021 NBA playoffs

Grading the Boston Celtics Game 1 vs. the Nets, player-by-player

It may not have been a win for the team at the final buzzer, but there were plenty of positives to take away from the game.

The Boston Celtics might not have won the day with the Brooklyn Nets taking Game 1 of the first-round series between the two Atlantic Division foes, but there were still some positives for the Celtics to take away from the contest on a player-by-player basis.

There were no truly trash performances, with everyone bringing their best effort who played significant minutes in the game. And while there were a few players who flopped a little or a lot, there were plenty of things for Boston to build off of moving forward in this series and beyond. To that end, Celtics Wire is analyzing each player who put in at least five minutes of game time, with a brief analysis of their play and a letter grade assessment.

Let’s take a look at how the team performed against the Nets.

WATCH: Robert Williams III scores 11 points, 9 blocks, 9 boards in Game 1 loss to Nets

Timelord out on a show for the ages in the losing effort despite his turf toe.

In Game 1 of the series between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets this past Saturday night, starting big man Robert Williams III made history, scoring 9 blocks (and 11 points and 9 rebounds in a near triple-double) in just 23 minutes of floor time, something no NBA player had done previously in over seven decades of league history.

“It doesn’t mean [expletive] if you lose,” shared a frustrated Timelord, but we do beg to differ. We all knew this wasn’t going to be Boston’s year with All-Star wing Jaylen Brown out for the season with a wrist injury. So, to see this kind of dominant performance from the Texas A&M product can only bode well for a healthy Celtics roster in a normal season.

Our favorite is when he eats James Harden’s shot attempt for dinner after following him out to the perimeter — and he did it playing through turf toe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfIPMLYNusk

Watch that and all his highlights from the Celtics’ 104 – 93 road loss in the video embedded above produced by Tomasz Kordylewski — it might not have ended in a win, but we’ll take the sky-high potential of Williams as a solid consolation prize.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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A dismayed Jamal Murray and his yellow hat created the perfect NBA playoffs meme

It’s perfect.

Jamal Murray tore the ACL in his left knee back on April 12 and is out for the season, but he still managed to be a major factor in the Nuggets’ 123-109 loss to the Trail Blazers in the opening game of their NBA playoff series.

Murray stalked the sideline in a bright yellow hat, seemingly living and dying with every play. At times he appeared to be trash talking with Portland’s bench players (who responded with some unfriendly gestures.)

Finally, Murray gave us a wonderful new meme after disagreeing with a call late in the second.

Come along as we go recount the injured star’s eventful night …

Doc Rivers, Sixers feel that they are ready for series with Wizards

Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers feel as if they are ready to take on the Washington Wizards in the playoffs.

In some ways, the upcoming playoff matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards will be a big challenge for the top-seeded Sixers. Sure, the Wizards are the No. 8 seed, but they offer a unique set of challenges to bother the Sixers.

Washington loves to score in transition. It led the league in pace per basketball-reference. Philadelphia has had a tough time in transition defense; it allowed 14.3 fast-break points per game, which is 29th in the league per TeamRankings.

As the Sixers had a week to prepare for this series, coach Doc Rivers believes the team improved its transition defense.

“I don’t know if it’s sizable, but it’s better, it should be,” said Rivers at practice on Saturday. “I also think the opponent has your attention as well. They’re very good in transition so it will be tested in this playoff. It’s been one of our weaknesses. It’s been one of their strengths so we’re gonna have to be very good at stopping the ball.”

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The Sixers are one of the dominant half-court defenses. They can use the length of Ben Simmons, Danny Green and Tobias Harris on the perimeter and have Joel Embiid protecting the rim. The issue is working together to make sure they are ready for Washington in transition.

“That’s something you can do in practice and just communicating and working on communicating in transition,” said Green. “I think the last maybe 15 games or so, we tried to do a better job of just communicating. Somebody to stop the ball first. Take ball and guys fan out and get weak side. Obviously, hustle, passion, desire to try to stop somebody, getting back in front of people is a big part of it, but communication is what we need.”

On top of the pace the Wizards play with, there is also the stellar play of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in the backcourt. Those two had a lot of success in getting into the paint and bothering the Sixers. They gave Rivers a lot of headaches while preparing for both players.

“Obviously, your focus is on those two main guys. They’re terrific,” said Rivers. “They’ve had just amazing years. Bradley with the scoring and Russ being Russ. You look at their record in the second half of the year, and it matches with the best teams in NBA. We understand all that, but listen, we’ve done it well all year ourselves. So we’ll be ready.”

The playoffs will begin for Philadelphia and Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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How to watch Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in the East. Here is how you can watch their series against the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Durant is back in the NBA playoffs with hopes of securing his third ring since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. After missing last season’s playoffs in the bubble, Durant is finally healthy and ready to go with the Brooklyn Nets.

Until recently, Durant has been dealing with COVID-19 issues and injuries all season, only playing in 35 games. As usual, he was a dominant scorer, averaging 26.9 points per game. Add in 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 points per game, and Durant bounced back nicely from his Achilles injury.

The Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in East thanks to their newly formed Big Three. James Harden and Kyrie Irving have been putting up monster numbers as well. Brooklyn earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face off against the Boston Celtics.

You can see the game dates and times (all EST) below:

Game 1 and Game 3 will take place on ABC, while Game 2 and Game 4 will be broadcasted on TNT. If the next three games are necessary, TV information will be determined later.

If the Nets are able to progress, a possible matchup against former Longhorn P.J. Tucker and the Milwaukee Bucks could be in store.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Boston at Brooklyn: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks – Game 1

Everything you need to know to wager on today’s game against the Nets.

The seventh-seeded Boston Celtics play the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, May 22, 2021, and if you are looking to do some last-minute betting research, you happen to be in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you will need to make the smartest bet you can on BetMGM.

The game tips off at at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and can be seen on the ABC network carried by your local cable provider or station, and figures to be a lopsided contest with the Celtics down All-Star forward Jaylen Brown and with big man Robert Williams III playing through turf toe in his left foot.

Let’s take a look at the odds.

TD Garden capacity to be increased for Game 3 vs. Nets, near full for Game 4

The fan support will be a welcome boost.

The Boston Celtics announced via press release that the team’s home arena TD Garden will increase seating capacity for fans beginning with Game 3 of the team’s first-round playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets, scheduled to take place on Friday, May 28.

Though no specifics were included in the release regarding the number of fans or percentages, at present the state limits the arena to 25% of its 18,600 approximate capacity, which will be lifted to have no restrictions whatsoever on May 29 per the order of Governor Charlie Baker. That would put Game 4 of the series — planned for Sunday, May 30 — in range of being able to operate at near-full capacity levels.

Down at least one key player in All-Star wing Jaylen Brown, the increased home crowd boost is sure to be welcomed by the players.

Concurrently, ticket sales for fans will be expanded and available at the arena box office, and through the team’s app and website.

For more information on ticket sales, email sales@celtics.com or call 866-4CELTIX.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: Finding a path for the Boston Celtics to beat the Brooklyn Nets

What will it take for Boston to put a scare into this Nets squad?

Is there a path to the Boston Celtics beating the Brooklyn Nets even once — never mind in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs? It’s a tall order for the Celtics with All-Star wing Jaylen Brown sidelined for the season with a torn wrist ligament and starting big man Robert Williams III dealing with a painful case of turf toe in his left foot.

Hall of Fame NBA broadcaster and fixture in the wider Celtics community Mike Gorman joins our friends at the CLNS podcast “Celtics Beat” to talk about the daunting first-round matchup with the second-seeded Nets, whether there’s a way for Boston to steal some wins, recap the play-in tourney and talk about Gorman’s famed career on the sidelines.

They even look ahead to the offseason, and talk on what the team ought to do when the current season is over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1FFhjqVQSc

This is an episode you don’t want to miss, so watch the video embedded above to avoid a life of regret.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Bell Ringer Podcast: Predicting Sixers vs. Wizards, X-Factors for series

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns to preview the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Washington Wizards playoff series.

The Philadelphia 76ers will finally begin the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Sunday as the No. 1 seed as they get set to take on the No. 8 seed Washington Wizards. They have been preparing all week, but they did not know an opponent since they had to wait until Thursday for the Wizards to clinch that final playoff spot.

The Sixers swept the Wizards in the regular season and they expect to not have too many issues in this Round 1 matchup, but in another episode of “The Bell Ringer” hosted by Sixers Wire, host Ky Carlin will break all of it down with Austin Krell of The Painted Lines.

The two of them break down how Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can be most effective against the Wizards and their defense and who the X-Factors are in this series for Philadelphia. Also, how can the Sixers slow down Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal? All of that and more in Friday’s episode.

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This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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