The Celtics Were Embarrassed Both On And Off The Court In Another Brutal Playoff Loss

Maddie Malhotra. Getty Images.

After Game 3, there was a sliver of hope. Until you lose at home, everything is technically still on the table. Things were already going to be an uphill battle, then we learned Kemba and Rob were out and at that point the Celts needed a miracle. You could tell they were riding the emotion of the crowd over the first 12 minutes, but once things settled in it was clear that the talent discrepancy was simply too great to overcome. To be honest, the Nets toyed with the Celts in Game 4. They got whatever they wanted on the offensive end without much resistance, and while on one hand it's pretty crazy this Celts team was able to drop 126 with 50+ points in street clothes, none of that matters if you're simply never going to get stops on the other end.

Now at 1-3, it's going to take the biggest upset maybe in NBA history to turn this thing around. I would say things are not looking great in that regard. Goes without saying what a difference 2-2 vs 3-1 makes, and the Celts will be extremely lucky if this even makes it back to Boston for Game 6. 

This now marked the second time in three games the Nets had at least 130 points. You cannot do that and think things will work out well for you. We've seen it all season. If this team doesn't defend, nothing else matters. Not Tatum dropping 40, not Fournier's shooting or Smart's playmaking. If they don't defend, they are dead. They are giving up 123.5 points a game in this series. That's the 14th worst average in the playoff field. Even worse than MIA, who got swept. Only MEM (down 1-2) and WSH (down 0-3) have been worse. 

Combined with an asshole doing asshole things at the end of this game, it wasn't exactly what I would call a great night. There were moments, but overall it was an ass whooping just like Game 2. Not great.

The Good

- If you're looking for any type of silver lining, at least we know Jayson Tatum is well on his way to becoming one of the best two way players the league has. After two rough first games, he's exploded

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He's averaging 30 in this series, despite facing double and triple teams. He's the only offensive option the Nets need to worry about and he's finding ways to have monster nights. It's not just his scoring either, Tatum also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists and a couple blocks. For the second game in a row he went blow for blow with Kevin Durant, who's only the greatest scoring forward we've maybe ever seen. At 23. I think if there was still any potential doubt if Tatum could be a #1 guy, it's been answered this series. A lot has gone wrong in these first 4 games, but I walk away feeling better about Jayson Tatum than I ever have. How could you not? When the team needed him, he stepped up on both ends. That's really all you can ask from your stars. I'm just not sure what more you could ask him to do. He played 40 minutes and had 40 points. Right after dropping 50 in your only win of the series. 

- What a first 12 minutes that was eh? Shot the ball mostly like shit but came out and had about as perfect a start as you could ask for. Guys were flying around, the energy was great, it just a shame they couldn't ya know…sustain it. Those first 12 minutes though, those were awesome.

- Goes without saying, but Mike Gorman's selection to the HOF and tribute video was pretty awesome

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The best. Not debatable. In fact, the man deserves his own wing at the HOF. Tell me I'm wrong, I'm not.

- OK, I thought about also talking about Nesmith and Pritchard's shooting, but that shit came in a blowout so it's whatever. I will say it was nice to see them have playoff moments which should only help moving forward, but I wouldn't exactly say they played a factor one way or the other. At least they both came in and looked like they could hang, which is important to their development.

The Bad

- Alright, let's get to the meat on the bone. It starts with the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Due to being severely limited in terms of the rotation options, we saw a lineup of Pritchard/Fournier/Semi/Langford/Grant get us started. How bad was that group? Well, in just 3 minutes together they had a 60 Ortg / 180 Drtg / -120 Net rating. It didn't last long, but the damage was done. Unfortunately, Semi didn't do a damn thing on either end. Didn't guard anyone, missed a layup and his corner three and that was that. Once the starters came back in that quarter they weren't all that better either. In the 5 minutes they played in the second, they finished with a 111 Ortg / 187 Drtg / -76 net rating. Jayson Tatum did not score in the second quarter while taking just 2 FGA. 

That quarter was a great example of what makes the Nets so devastating. With Kyrie/KD out, James Harden went into his Houston offense and it was a wrap. He did a great job getting the switches he wanted, and nobody could do a damn thing about it. As a team the Nets barely missed, shooting 70/62% for 40 points in those 12 minutes. Combine that with 33/28% shooting on the Boston side, and there's your game. The second you think maybe you have Harden figured out, Kyrie and KD come back in and it's over. 

- Here's the reality. The Nets scored with 11:41 left in the second quarter to take a 35-34 lead, and the Celts never even tied it again the rest of the way. There were no other lead changes. So it technically wasn't a wire to wire beatdown, but it was pretty damn close. 

- I'll admit, this picture made me laugh

It's not too often you see a series perfectly described in one photo, but I think this one does it. Sometimes you just have to accept that being forced to guard Kevin Durant with Payton Pritchard probably isn't going to work out well for you.

- In a game where you desperately needed efficient scoring to go along with Tatum, it's not great that Fournier/Smart combined to shoot 9-27 (4-18). Especially with how the BKN trio was scoring with ease

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I wouldn't even say Smart/Fournier played all that poorly, but it was a tough time to have an inefficient night. I thought Smart started to take those too early panic threes that never seem to drop. He went 0-7 from three after making his first two. Fournier started the first half just 2-8. Tatum can only do so much, and with no Jaylen or Kemba out there, if the supporting role players don't come through, you get a result like we had last night. It wasn't an effort thing, it was a not having the firepower thing. That just is what it is. 

- Back to the defense for a second. I'm just not sure what you expect when the Celts give up 33, 40, 39, and 29 points on 57/59/96% shooting with 16 3PM. In fact, it was only 29 in the fourth because the Nets probably stopped trying. Dagger three after dagger three from guys like Kyrie and Durant, then 4 more 3PM from Joe Harris, it was an offensive buzzsaw. Their gameplan was pretty clear. Keep attacking Tristan Thompson on the switch. You look at his matchup numbers, it wasn't pretty. Everybody ate.

KD/Harden/Kyrie combined for 22 points on 10-12 shooting against Thompson. They got to the rim with ease, and with no real rim protection with Rob out, nobody was there to challenge or make things tough. Kyrie also picked guys like Grant apart, and the Nets combined to shoot 7-9 against Evan Fournier. There was no resistance from pretty much anyone other than Smart

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That's not going to cut it, I think we can all agree there.

The Ugly

- Obviously, the biggest story coming out of this game is what happened at the end. From Kyrie stomping on the Celts logo to that asshole fan being a scumbag and throwing a water bottle at Kyrie's head as he left the floor. I'm not sure what else needs to be said that hasn't been already. Fuck that guy. He deserves everything that comes with acting like a complete asshole. Whether it's fair or not, shit like that is going to be used to paint the entire city/fanbase. The whole world was watching how things would go with Kyrie, we've had instances in other arenas already go on in these playoffs, and that's what you do? I'm sorry, but you're an asshole. There is no logical explanation that could come close to justifying acting that way. What's the end goal there…you hit him in the head? Cool? You really showed him! Definitely changes the fact that the team is now down 3-1! 

When it comes to Kyrie stepping on the logo, look, if you don't like it, don't let him drop 39 and beat you on your home floor. There was no logo stomping after Game 3 right? I did find it interesting that nobody asked him about it postgame, but I doubt he acknowledges it even if he ever is asked. What that doesn't do is make it OK on any level to throw something at his head. That's logic I'm not sure I'll ever be able to follow. I said it before Game 3, it's very easy to act completely normal at a sporting event. Even if you want to boo Kyrie until you're red in the face, you can do that without being an asshole. 

Now heading back to BKN for Game 5, who knows if Rob/Kemba play, but I'm not sure it'll matter. The Nets smell blood. I was happy to see this Celtics team actually fight and not just roll over like they did so many times during the regular season, but unfortunately moral victories don't really help you when trying to win a playoff series. This could very well be the last time the Garden got to see a number of players on this roster, unless something nuts happens on Tuesday. If not, welcome to the offseason.