NBA playoffs 2023 – Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics’ reward for advancing is the Brooklyn Nets

The season has been a slog for the Boston Celtics. There was a spate of coronavirus-related absences that shut down observe for a stretch, a knee damage that hampered Kemba Walker, 9 straight video games missed by key midseason acquisition Evan Fournier and at last a devastating, season-ending damage to Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics merely couldn’t discover the continuity to maintain tempo in an more and more sturdy Jap Convention, ending the common season in seventh place and needing to outlive the NBA’s play-in event to advance within the playoffs.

For all of the adversity, the Celtics nonetheless function Jayson Tatum, who marched out of the tunnel after halftime of Tuesday evening’s play-in matchup in opposition to the Washington Wizards and, with Walker, managed the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Tatum reached 41 factors by the tip of the third quarter — tied for his most via three quarters in any sport of his profession, in keeping with analysis ESPN Stats & Info. He would end with 50 within the Celtics’ 118-100 victory in Boston.

“I simply wished to be aggressive tonight,” Tatum mentioned. “We received them within the bonus early in a few these quarters, so as soon as I’d seen that, I used to be simply making an attempt to place the strain on the protection in a rush.”

Within the second-half scoring outburst, Tatum drained from distance and pressured the protection from midrange. Hit with a double-team down low, he promptly discovered Walker on the weakside perimeter for a 3-pointer, certainly one of three triples Walker sank within the first three minutes of the second half. The Celtics ran off a 20-4 run after intermission, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

For his or her effort, the Celtics earn an invite into the primary postseason bracket to face the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets, a sequence wherein the Nets can be heavy favorites. Brooklyn’s expertise is simple — it options one of many league’s most explosive offensive trios in historical past in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. However one of many many questions lingering over the Nets’ championship aspirations has been continuity. Durant, Harden and Irving have performed all of eight video games and 202 minutes collectively. Durant and Harden have coped with a spate of accidents. Durant, who missed all of final season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered a hamstring pressure over the winter, then a thigh contusion extra just lately. Harden then endured his personal hamstring pressure.

Estimations of their historic greatness are simply understood, however they aren’t the product of on-court play, however quite previous efficiency. There’s little purpose to consider Brooklyn’s Massive Three gained’t launch fireworks, however basketball — even performed by NBA superstars — requires somewhat continuity. They’ll search to seek out it in opposition to a Celtics crew that hardly resembles the convention finalists of latest seasons.

“These guys are the most effective of the most effective, and going into that, if I’m a fan and only a normal fan of the NBA, I’ve a tough time seeing them lose,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens mentioned. “So we’re going to need to play nice, we’re going to need to play nice collectively, and we’re going to need to be actually, actually sound on each ends of the ground.”

One other query mark for Brooklyn: protection — particularly if the Nets can play sufficient of it. The NBA playoffs have an extended historical past of “switch-flipping” by offensive juggernauts who, let’s say, deemphasize protection within the common season solely to ratchet up the trouble underneath the brightest lights. Postseason basketball tends to decelerate, permitting defenses to set and dig in. Boston isn’t a poor offensive crew — it ranks tenth total this season. However with out Brown, choices are restricted.

Walker can be important in opposition to the Nets, each for his scoring output and his means to construction the Celtics’ offense. Probably the most adept pick-and-roll practitioners within the NBA all through his profession, Walker has been beset by his personal sequence of accidents throughout his two seasons with Boston.

Throughout their convention finals runs in 2017, 2018 and 2023, the Celtics have been an impressive defensive crew, they usually’ll have to summon the spirit of these rock-solid groups to have a preventing probability in opposition to Brooklyn. When the protection is buzzing, the Celtics cowl floor in addition to any unit within the NBA. Good and Tatum nonetheless qualify as an elite defensive wing tandem, they usually’ll face a frightening playoff matchup.

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Jayson Tatum makes a turnaround jumper and the following time down drains a nook 3-pointer to power a Washington timeout.

For the Wizards, the loss Tuesday evening is dejecting, even when their presence within the sport was unbelievable. The Wizards are the embodiment of the play-in event’s attraction. As just lately as April 6, Washington was sitting in thirteenth within the Jap Convention, 4 full video games behind No. 10 Chicago, and 7 video games again of No. 8 Boston. In previous seasons, the Wizards may need been inclined to shut up store with an virtually unattainable activity of leaping over 4 groups and catching the Celtics. However within the NBA’s new world, they stepped on the gasoline and assembled a 17-6 stretch run to nab the No. 8 seed.

Washington will now fly dwelling, the place it would face the Indiana Pacers on Thursday evening for an opportunity to fulfill the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Spherical 1.

“My head isn’t down,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal mentioned. “I instructed the fellows the identical factor, ‘That is the place we wish to be.’ Give ourselves a possibility to get to seven, if that’s the case. If not, on the again finish, we nonetheless get one other alternative at dwelling.”

Pacers-Wizards won’t sound like must-see TV, however it is going to be a matchup between two of the 4 quickest groups within the NBA. Washington hardly ever slows down. The Wizards have been the NBA’s quickest crew this season by a wholesome margin. The hole between their tempo and that of No. 2 Milwaukee was larger than between Milwaukee and No. 7 Oklahoma Metropolis. Westbrook and Ish Smith anticipate no person.

Choosing up the tempo was merchandise No. 1 on the crew’s preseason to-do checklist, and the Pacers zipped across the flooring with ease on Tuesday evening of their 144-117 shellacking of the Charlotte Hornets. If confidence and momentum are elements within the elimination sport on Thursday evening, then the Pacers convey a truckload into Washington.

Hours previous to the sport, Caris LeVert was dominated out as a consequence of COVID-19 well being and security protocols. However even with out their most potent creator, the Pacers placed on an offensive exhibition. Towards Washington, Indiana will attempt to replicate its components from Tuesday evening — moving into its offense early, then leveraging inside touches to seek out clear appears from past the arc.

Although neither sport on Tuesday evening delivered on drama, the novelty offered some intrigue. This was undoubtedly high-stakes playoff basketball by one other identify.