BOSTON— What a way to lose a game. After the Nets came back from down 15, and after Kyrie Irving carried the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders with a masterful performance agains…
BOSTON — What a way to lose a game. After the Nets came back from down 15, and after Kyrie Irving carried the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders with a masterful performance against his old team, Celtics star Jayson Tatum beat the buzzer with a layup on the final possession of the fourth quarter to seal a 115-114 victory over the Nets in Game 1. “They pushed it instead of calling the timeout,” head coach Steve Nash said postgame. “I think we took away the first action with (Jaylen Brown) and Marcus Smart. I thought we were intelligent on that action, but they got in a crack (in our defense), and somehow they found Tatum, who made an intelligent cut. Split-second here or there and I think it goes the other way.” The Celtics now lead the first-round series,1-0. After the Nets looked like they were in position to steal Game 1 before the tide turned late in the fourth. Irving scored 39 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and carried the load while Kevin Durant turned in one of his worst performances since returning from a sprained MCL that derailed his season.
