NBA Playoffs: ‘No Way’ Nets Can Beat Celtics, Charles Barkley Says

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening game of the play-in tournament to earn a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics. One prominent NBA analyst strongly believes that’s as far as Brooklyn will go in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

After watching the Nets beat the Cavs 115-108 behind 59 combined points from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, TNT’s Charles Barkley gave Brooklyn no chance to defeat Boston in a seven-game series.

"There’s no way they can beat the Celtics," Barkley said. "They got two great players. They both actually played as good as they probably can play. Kevin Durant was fabulous with his passing and his defense. Kyrie was great. But other than that, I know they can’t beat the Celtics.

"All these fools on these other morning talk shows can let this ship sail. Both of those guys played great, great, and they barely beat a mediocre Cavs team."

Irving was nearly perfect against his former team, scoring 34 points on 12-15 shooting. Durant needed just 16 field-goal attempts to score 25 points in addition to recording 11 assists, five rebounds and three blocks.

Brooklyn led Cleveland by at least five points for the game’s final three quarters. Durant secured the victory with a pair of shots late in the fourth quarter when the Cavs threatened to make a comeback.

Barkley isn’t exactly known for making correct predictions, though plenty of people who follow the NBA closely believe it’s Boston’s series to lose. The Nets opened as the betting favorite in the seven-game set, but that quickly changed. The Celtics have -130 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to beat the Nets on the morning after the playoff matchup became official.

The Celtics finished seven games ahead of the Nets in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston has been the NBA’s best team since the end of January, posting a 26-6 record.

With the No. 1 defense in the league, Boston has home-court advantage against Brooklyn. The Celtics went 3-1 against the Nets in the regular season.

Brooklyn has had a rocky season, marked by injuries and dysfunction. The Nets haven’t come close to reaching expectations, no longer led by three superstars. Brooklyn ranks 20th in defensive rating.

Durant is arguably the best player in the NBA, and it won’t be easy for the Celtics to contain him over a seven-game series. Irving averaged a career-high 27.4 points per game in the regular season.

Boston hosts Brooklyn in Game 1 Sunday.