Road To NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets – Editors picks

The Boston Celtics play the Brooklyn Nets in a playoff matchup between two Eastern Conference powerhouses that want to go all the way.

Hedgeout.net Team previews the series and predicts the winner, as Game 1 takes place on Sunday at TD Garden.

Yiannis Bouranis

All bets are off in the first-round playoff clash between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics dominated the NBA in the second half of the season, but the Nets are probably the toughest opponent they could face in the opening round.

After a poor start to the season (18-21), the Celtics won 33 of their next 43 games and finished second in the standings. Boston relied on its defense, while the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was dominant on both ends.

Coach Ime Udoka distributed the roles in a perfect way and that was the key to the Celtics’ impressive run since January.

On the other hand, the Nets had nothing but a turbulent season, which highlighted by the James Harden trade. Kyrie Irving missed several games because of his vaccination status, while Kevin Durant missed games, due to injuries.

With Irving back full time and Durant healthy, Brooklyn qualified for the playoffs eventually. The superstar duo and the quality of the roster makes the Nets an extremely tough opponent. I expect Boston to win the series in Game 7 (4-3).

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Alexandros Tsakos

The series between Boston and Brooklyn will highlight the first round of the NBA playoffs. I expect the series going down to the wire, with the Celtics having the edge thanks to their defense.

Brooklyn can blitz you with the offensive game of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. However, the Celtics have the complete package on both ends of the floor.

Since the midpoint of the season, they went 26-6, outscoring opponents by 14.6 points. I do not expect the Nets to overcome the lack of chemistry, especially in a long playoff series. I pick the Celtics to win the matchup in seven long and draining games.

Filippos Kassotis

Boston Celtics (51-31) vs Brooklyn Nets (44-38) is surely the most highly anticipated series of the NBA playoffs.

The seventh place in the standings does not reflect the exact dynamic of Brooklyn this year. Should Kyrie Irving play all the home court games, the Nets would have been placed higher than seventh.

The Celtics, on the other hand, have the most balanced team this year and their performance since January has made them legit title contenders. Boston’s second place in the East didn’t come as a surprise.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown vs Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is one of the best duo battles we will see in the playoffs. The Celtics’ home-court advantage will also play a major role for the outcome of the tightest series.

With Boston winning the season series 3-1, my guess is that the Celtics will finally make it to the semifinals (4-3).

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Dimitris Georgiopoulos

Boston Celtics (51-31, 2nd in East Division) are undoubtfully one of the best teams in 2022. They have lost only twelve games after January 1st (33/45).

Head coach Ime Udoka was among the prime candidates for the Coach of the Year award this season. His tight defensive approach led to the Celtics allowing the least points per game in the league (104.5).

On the other hand, the Brooklyn Nets (44-38) were affected by key players’ injuries throughout the season. However, they clinched their playoff spot by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers (115-108). For the playoff series itself, everything will depend on the Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant matchup.

Boston won the regular season series between the two teams (3-1). However, I think this one will be tough and should the Nets win one of the first two games at TD Garden, they have the chance to advance to the East semifinals.

They clearly have the talent in players like KD and Kyrie Irving, therefore I’m predicting that they will pass through Celtics (2-4).

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Aggelos Nikolopoulos

The series between the Celtics and the Nets can be considered a real derby. Both teams had a really weird year, especially the Nets.

In Brooklyn, throughout the year, they couldn’t calm down at all, dealing with a series of issues on and off the court. Having created many expectations from last year (building a team with many superstars and a deep bench), everything collapsed early on.

There were many injuries (Kevin Durant was out for many games), while also dealing with the vaccination status of Irving (which has been resolved eventually) and, of course, James Harden’s trade request. The latter finally achieved to leave Brooklyn and join the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, they managed to clinch the play-in spot and finally participate in the playoffs even from the seventh spot. After all, who would pick the Nets as an opponent in the first round of the playoffs, having claimed the second spot?

In Boston, I am pretty sure they were not so happy for that outcome. The Celtics made a really poor start, they were out of the playoff spots for almost half the regular season, but they had a really amazing winning course after Christmas that gave them the chance to finish second in the Eastern Conference.

They have the home-court advantage and are considered the favorite of the series, but I truly believe it will be a classic derby. I don’t expect less than 6 games here, giving a small lead to the Celtics. They faced each other 4 times in the regular season, with a 3-1 Boston record.

My betting prediction is over 5.5 games in the series (1.50) and if I choose to play a score, it will be a 4-3 for the Celtics (with a chance for 4-2).

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