I’m very excited for home court advantage in the first two rounds, and I do think we’ll see the second round. We’re a better team than Brooklyn, with or without TL. They may win a game or two when Durant and Irving are unstoppable, but that isn’t going to be every night. Furthermore, their defense is simply bad, and our offense has been playing at a very high level as well. For perspective, since KD returned from his injury in early March, the Nets have an offensive rating of 119.9, good for third in the NBA. Over that same period, however, the Celtics have an offensive rating of 124.0, tops in the league. The Celtics can absolutely win the shootouts, and Brooklyn’s defense will allow for some shootouts. Meanwhile there will also be a game or two when our defense does prove dominant, and the Nets are just going to get blown out in those.
And if the C’s do get Cleveland, that’s a sweep. I really like the C’s going into the postseason. It could be a really special run.