The Brooklyn-Boston rivalry was short-lived and there’s zero question whether the Celtics won the battle — during the Paul Pierce and KG (Brooklyn) era, during the Kyrie Irving stomp-on-Lucky era. They’re the defending champs and they’re living up to expectations early in the season. On the flip, Brooklyn is surpassing expectations and fighting night in and night out.
This one has the potential to be a trap game that few expect — or one of those in which the Nets fall out early and decide to rest some guys in the second half with a bout against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.