Three biggest storylines for Nets vs. Celtics first-round clash

While Ben Simmons is rumored to make his long-awaited return in the team’s series against the Celtics, no one really knows what he will be able to contribute. He certainly isn’t a fresh fish learning the ropes with new teammates and a foreign system. The Aussie has been with Brooklyn since his February trade and probably has a good idea of how coach Steve Nash wants his team to play.

However, with a back injury that has kept him out throughout his short tenure, you can only build up so much chemistry on the practice floor — especially late in the season when certain players are deep in maintenance mode and trying to make it to the playoffs as healthy as possible. With that said, if Simmons is willing to take an offensive back seat and humbly play the role of perimeter defender and facilitator, there is much he can offer his team.

No doubt there will be growing pains trying to mesh with superstar ball magnets like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but if Simmons is willing to play to his greatest strengths, he could be a dynamic addition that the Celtics are not ready for, especially coming off of the bench.

Will Boston Celtics’ defense be the series X-factor?

For decades in all team sports, the saying was that defense wins championships. That isn’t so much the case anymore. In today's NBA, rugged defenders are handcuffed by the offense-friendly rules, and you have seven-footers who can hit shots from anywhere on the court. However, you can’t underestimate Boston’s top-ranked defense and what it means in a seven-game series.

Good defense is so valuable because it makes up for limitations in scoring. The C’s are clearly outgunned offensively, but the same very much could be said when it comes to the defense of the veteran-filled Nets. Boston’s defense is a serious force when Robert Williams is playing. However, with Williams out due to a torn meniscus, the C’s D won’t be nearly as potent, making life easier for Brooklyn’s talented scorers. That is bad news for Beantown.

Who has more pressure to win, Kevin Durant or Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant are the faces of this series. Both carry the bulk of the offensive load for their teams and bare the responsibility of either team losing this series. As the bigger star and older talent, the assumption would be that greater expectations and pressure rest on Durant’s shoulders. However, that may not be the case.

Of course, more is expected of this Nets squad, but with the James Harden drama, Irving’s vaccination refusal and numerous injuries, the team is no longer a favorite in the conference in 2022. However, the Celtics rose to the top of the division, and sooner or later Tatum will have to deliver more on his potential in his fifth year as the franchise’s brightest star.

The Celtics are expected to win this series, and Tatum has a chance to prove he is one of the elite talents in this game by doing so. The team’s late-season success and the mess that Brooklyn has been in 2021-2022 put the onus on Tatum to knock Durant and the boys out of the playoffs early.