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The Brooklyn Nets have officially clinched a spot in the playoffs after a 115-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament. The Nets never trailed in the contest and led by 22 points in the 3rd quarter. However, a resilient Cavaliers team cut the lead to 4 in the final minutes. Fortunately for the Nets, they escaped with a hard-earned victory, and can now set their sights on the first round of the playoffs.
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Jayson Tatum Gets Candid on Kyrie Irving’s Departure
The Nets will face a familiar team in the first round of the playoffs, as they will lock horns with their Atlantic Division rival, the Boston Celtics. For those who may be tardy to the party, the Nets and Celtics faced off in the first round of the playoffs in 2021, where Brooklyn eliminated Kyrie Irving’s former squad in five games. Irving didn’t have the most pleasant exit from the Celtics when he left in the Summer of 2019 to team up with Kevin Durant on the Nets. Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum revealed that Kyrie has regrets about how he handled his departure from Boston.
“Obviously, we’ve talked, and there’s some things that he probably would’ve done differently, but I think that’s just a part of life, nobody’s perfect, and you just gotta move on from it as you get older,” Tatum told reporters on April 13 via Sports Illustrated.
Tatum also says that what he learned from Irving during his first two seasons in Boston, has helped shape him into the player he is today, both on and off the court. He has learned from Irving’s mistakes as well, citing that he “learned what to do and some things not to do.”
Celtics ‘Racist Past’ Played Role in Kyrie’s Departure
When Irving left the Celtics to join the Nets, it was a bit of a surprise to everyone. At the time, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Brooklyn’s roster, and the Celtics had their future set with two cornerstone pieces in Tatum and Jaylen Brown. However, according to Matt Sullivan, author of the book “Can’t Knock the Hustle”, the star point guard had long flirted with the idea of leaving the Celtics.
“My reporting shows in the book [Can’t Knock the Hustle] that as early as the 2017-18 season, he was thinking about the ‘racist past’ of Boston fans and whether that was the type of city that he wanted to represent,” Sullivan said in a 2021 interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports.
“You fast forward to this present season, he’s kind of unprovoked, basically saying, “I hope there’s not any subtle racism in Boston…” and they’re throwing bottles at him [in Boston] and fans in Philly are dumping popcorn on Russ Westbrook.”
The Nets, after a rollercoaster ride of a regular season, have finally clinched their spot in the playoffs. The job is far from finished though, as they still have to win 16 games to reach their ultimate goal of winning an NBA title. Their quest for a championship begins on April 17, when they will travel to Bostons to take on the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
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