NBA 2021/22 on Sunday, 06.03.2022
All good things come in threes! That’s probably what many fans of the Boston Celtics will be thinking as they could now win their already third game in the first quarter of the 2022 calendar year against the Brooklyn Nets.
My Celtics Nets tip is straightforward and doesn’t beat around the bush! The C’s are clearly superior to the Black and Whites at this point in the season. For Durant and Simmons will still need time to get back up to operating temperature!
The Nets’ athletic slide continues and continues to show no mercy to fans’ nerves! In the meantime, Kevin Durant is finally back, but at the moment the New Yorkers are just average – in the truest sense of the word!
For the first time since the beginning of the season, the black and whites no longer have a positive record, but only an even one (32-32). If this continues, a direct play-off place is no longer a matter of course!
I made two Nets Celtics predictions in February, both of which called for a C’s win – and sure enough, the Green and Whites won in more than just dominant fashion, 126-91 and 129-106 respectively.
At the same time, the results make it clear that there was not much to be gained for the New Yorkers in either case! Although I expect Boston to triumph this time as well, it is obvious that the affair will be a little tighter on Sunday evening.
Unlike the last two meetings, NBA icon Kevin Durant will once again play the Nets’ centre position, which has been shorthanded until recently! That alone is almost a guarantee of 30 points for Brooklyn.
In addition, Kyrie Irving may also be involved in visiting games! This means that the New Yorkers can still field two of their former Big Three! Nevertheless, the starting five is not sufficiently well-stocked to take on the Celtics.
Boston, on the other hand, signed another promising player, Nik Stauskas, a few days ago and impresses less with big names than with a balanced team that sees itself first and foremost as a collective!
And indeed, the Green and Whites are not riding the biggest wave of NBA success at the moment for nothing! The Celtics have won 14 of their last 16 games, giving their playoff chances a huge boost!
The Nets will bounce back, no question about it! But they won’t be able to reach their full potential until Ben Simmons – who came in for James Harden, by the way – has fully recovered from his injury.
Simmons, meanwhile, will not be able to play against the C’s yet. This gives the home side a qualitative advantage at the guard positions, which could easily help them to another victory over Brooklyn.
By the way, Boston recently won against two playoff-ready teams like the Hawks (107:98) and Grizzlies (120:107) – and not exactly by a narrow margin! The Celtics are always capable of improving their performance when they are in need!
The various top bookmakers are trading a win for the currently outstanding Celtics at around 1.60 – and indeed, it should surprise no one if the Green and Whites win again tonight.
The Nets will undoubtedly play better than we were used to seeing from them against Boston recently. Kevin Durant will provide more forward momentum, but with average odds of 2.40, a win is still unlikely!
Conclusion: The Nets are currently still recovering from the traces left by James Harden’s “trade blackmail”. At least Kevin Durant is finally back in the starting line-up after a month-long injury break.
Kyrie Irving is also allowed to play despite his vaccination status, which is why I assume that the Black and Whites could definitely stand up to the C’s at times. But it will probably not be enough for a win this time either!
Boston is simply well-staffed at all positions and has not won fourteen of its last seventeen NBA games for nothing!
My Celtics Nets tip is therefore: Victory of the C’s!
