Game 1 of the NBA playoffs series between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets went right down to the wire.
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WHAT.A.GAME. If there was one series of the NBA Playoffs that got fans really excited, it was the matchup between the Celtics and the Nets and boy did Game 1 live up to all that hype.
The game went back and forth right from the first possession till the very last minute of the game before a Jayson Tatum game-winning layup ensured that the Celtics took home the win.
The stars didn’t disappoint with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combining for 54 points for the Celtics and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combining for 62 for the Nets.
I love that the superstars played like superstars in Brooklyn vs. Boston Game 1. Kyrie put on a show for the Nets and Tatum and Brown played like superstars for the Celtics!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 17, 2022
Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum combined for a beautiful final possession to win the game for the Celtics
Heading into the 4th quarter, the Celtics were up 96-85. The Nets clawed back into the game with Kyrie Irving making some clutch buckets including a three-pointer that put the Nets up 114-111 with 45 seconds to go in the ball game.
Kyrie Irving Vs the Celtics in game 1
39 pts
6 ast
5 rbs
4 stls
9-9ft 100%
12-20fg 60%
6-10 3fg 60%Helped lead an 11-0 Nets run.
Only missed 1 shot in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/wNtF2vy7bi— KyriesMuse (@KyriesMuse) April 17, 2022
Jaylen Brown quickly scored a layup at the other end to cut the deficit to 1 with 39 seconds to go. The Celtics would then play some great defense and force Durant to take a tough shot which he missed and the Cs got the rebound.
Brown had the chance to shoot a tough fadeaway over Goran Dragic to win the game but instead found Smart in the corner who pump-faked two defenders and found a cutting Tatum who made the buzzer-beating layup.
I can’t get over Marcus Smart having the restraint to not shoot with 3.5 left. Patient play to pump fake, drawing two defenders. Jayson Tatum had the spin finish also great awareness to have such an timely cut to give Smart a target. Beautiful basketball. pic.twitter.com/TOufyXjMc7
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 17, 2022
The final 2 possessions (defensive and offensive) for the Celtics had the word ‘TEAM’ written all over them. The stop on the defensive end and the beautiful passing between the Celtics’ 3 best players to win the game was poetry to seal the game.
This series is going to go a long way and we can expect a lot of close games to follow.