Tatum’s Last Second Basket Gives Celtics 1-0 Lead Over Nets in Eventful Game 1

Tatum’s Last Second Basket Gives Celtics 1-0 Lead Over Nets in Eventful Game 1

by Liam Crampton

The 7 seeded Brooklyn Nets came to Boston on Sunday to take on the 2 seeded Celtics in game 1, in what is quite possibly the most anticipated matchup in the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs. The game featured a Celtics team that lives on their stellar defense, led by now crowned 2022 defensive player of the year, point guard Marcus Smart, and star duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics went into this series missing their defensive juggernaut of a starting center, Robert Williams III, who tore his meniscus against the Minnesota Timberwolves later in the season, leaving many to take Brooklyn, led by star veterans Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in this series.

The game kicked off and the physicality was immediately apparent. Durant racked up multiple turnovers early in the game, but Boston only converted on some. One player that stood out on both sides of the ball was former all star Al Horford. The Celtics big man was playing at an elite level very reminiscent of his younger self, causing problems for the Nets. Despite the Celtics tough play, Kyrie Irving came into the game on a mission, to start trouble, in both a basketball sense and literal sense. The former Celtic Irving is known as an antagonistic figure in the city of Boston as he signed with Brooklyn not too long after saying he would stay. Irving has been a controversial name in the NBA for a while, from his flat-Earth theories to his views against the Covid-19 vaccine causing him to miss the majority of the season, but things were on a different level in TD Garden.

After a half of even play, the Celtics came out firing, followed shortly by Irving scoring 8 straight points. Whilst Irving was knocking down shots, he was taunting opposing fans who were booing him by giving them the middle finger, and mocking their chants. Despite the behavior, it didn’t seem he was too distracted as he went on to finish the game with 39 points on 60% shooting, but it was not enough.

The last few minutes were played close, and after an Irving 3 pointer and Jaylen Brown layup, the score was 114-113 with the Nets in front. Time was counting down as Kevin Durant, who was unusually struggling most of the night, missed a 3 pointer that would’ve put the game out of reach. The Celtics made their way down the court fast, as Jaylen Brown found Marcus Smart who faked a three-point shot, only to dish the ball to Jayson Tatum as he spun and laid the ball in as time expired. The grueling game ended in a last second Celtics victory, with the help of Tatum’s 31 points and 8 assists, Horford’s 20 points and 15 rebounds, Smart’s 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and Brown’s 23 points and 4 steals. The Nets seek to steal game 2 away from Boston on Wednesday, in which an already wild series looks to continue.