In NBA playoff history, 327 teams have trailed a seven-game series, 2-0. Only 25 of those teams have rebounded to win the series, per Land Of Basketball.
So Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving & Co. will face long odds to get out of the first round if they lose on Wednesday night against Boston.
That’s why the stakes are high for the Nets entering Game 2.
Based on what you saw Sunday, there is plenty of reason to believe Brooklyn can get out of TD Garden with a win, though.
The Nets were one possession away from winning Game 1. They were in that position despite an uncharacteristic performance from Durant (9-for-24, six turnovers).
You’d expect the Nets to get more from Durant on Wednesday.
Can they expect a better performance on the boards? That seems less likely.
A Nets team that struggled on the glass for stretches of the regular season was hurt by the Celtics’ rebounding in Game 1.
Al Horford had six offensive rebounds; Daniel Theis had four. The Celtics took 11 more shots than Brooklyn and needed a last-second basket to win the game. So those extra possessions for the Celtics were crucial.
Can Nash & Co. find a way to reduce Boston’s advantage on the glass while keeping enough spacing on the floor?
That’s one of the important subplots heading into Game 2.
Again, it’s hard to overstate the importance of Game 2 for the Nets.
If they fall down 2-0, they’d have to beat long odds to win the series.
A first-round series loss for a team that ended the 2020-21 season with such high expectations would be troubling.
Fair or not, a series loss to the Celtics would lead to more questions about Irving’s limited availability due to his vaccine status and the city’s rules around vaccines.
It would lead to questions about how the organization handled the challenging James Harden situation. It would lead to questions about Nash’s coaching.
A loss to Boston would also heighten the importance of the Nets’ 2022 offseason.
Brooklyn would enter the offseason with decisions to make on Bruce Brown (unrestricted free agent), Nic Claxton (restricted free agent), Irving (player option for 2022-23), and others.
The decisions they make on those players and others on the margins will go a long way toward determining their 2022-23 title hopes.
Of course, a healthy Ben Simmons would increase those 2022-23 title chances.
But you only have so many opportunities with players like Irving and Durant healthy and in their prime.
An early exit this spring would take away one of those chances, which is why Wednesday is such an important game for the Nets. You can argue that it’s their biggest game since moving to Brooklyn.
