With the Cavaliers and Celtics tied in the standings at 51-29, this last-gasp-of-the-season Cs game vs. the long-suffering Nets carried much more importance than it ordinarily would. To the Celtics’ credit, they started off playing like it did and mostly stayed that way. To the Nets’ credit, they played above what their dismal record would suggest. But as a great Wallace once said–not Gerald, you turkeys–ball don’t lie. Boston owned Brooklyn for much of the contest and overcame some sloppy work in the second half to win and keep the 1-seed chase alive.
THE GAME FLOW
It became instantly clear that Brooklyn would have to, as Tommy Heinsohn said on the CSN broadcast, “cut a mosquito in half with a samurai sword” to properly defend Boston.