Brooklyn Nets were elated after getting into the playoffs Tuesday night. Kevin Durant and co. beat the Cavaliers to secure the 7th seed, and now they will take on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Bruce Brown was upbeat coming off Tuesday’s win and he made a comment that caught Durant’s attention regarding their next opponent.
“Them not having Robert Williams is huge. We can attack Theis and Horford in the paint,” Brown said in the aftermath of Nets’ win.
Durant stated that this was “caffeine pride” talking during his postgame interview claiming that Theis and Horford can do the same thing as Williams.
“We respect our opponents. We don’t need to talk about what we’re going to do to them. I just don’t like that. But that’s just how Bruce is,” Durant stated.
“He just comes in and keeps the same energy throughout the whole season. We don’t need to say s*** like that. Lets just go out there and hoop.”
Brown, a Boston native, could be in for a rude awakening as Theis and Horford can be physical in the paint. Brooklyn will need to see Andre Drummond and Nic Claxton having big games to win the battle in the paint.
Boston is one of the best defensive teams in the league and that’s not only because Robert Williams. Williams certainly is a big part of the Cs’ plan, but, Boston did not lose a step with him out.
Williams missed the last seven games of the regular season, but the Celtics remained dominant in both ends of the floor. They allowed 109.9 points per 100 possessions, while they outscored opponents by 11.8 points per 100 possessions.
In any case, the Nets have a huge challenge ahead of them starting Sunday evening. Provocation of opponents certainly not help in a playoff series between two really talented teams.
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