Boston didn't necessarily get stomped the way its TD Garden logo did at the feet of villainous Nets star Kyrie Irving, but in the end the Celtics disappointing, injury-riddled season came to a merciful conclusion Tuesday night as Brooklyn closed out the first-round playoff series 4-1 with a 123-109 victory on its home court.
Whether it was defending the honor of the Lucky the Leprechaun logo or trying to extend their season, the Celtics just didn't or couldn't muster up nearly enough fight.
Jayson Tatum was once again obviously the best Boston had to offer, scoring 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists in the losing effort.
But sometimes your best isn't good enough and that was certainly the case in this one as James Harden's 32-point triple-double led the Nets Hall of Fame trio to 83 total points (Irving had 25 while Kevin Durant added a quiet 24) to advance to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite leading for much of the first quarter and keeping the deficit to single digits for much of the game, playing once again without Kemba Walker (knee) and Robert Williams (toe) in addition to All-Star Jaylen Brown having been lost for the season prior to the playoffs, Boston never really felt like it had shot in the game, or the series for that matter.
Although it could certainly be said the on-court effort showed far more fight than the lack of response to Irving's Lucky logo disrespect that riled up so many former Celtics. After the loss, Tatum and others hugged it out with Irving in the immediacy of the season-ending defeat.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised his star scorer for his postseason efforts which included a pair of 50-point games despite an undermanned supporting cast.
"Jayson continued to make plays. We didn't do enough as a team. But he showed a lot of mettle this year," Stevens said.
Whether it's considered excuse-making or simply the reality of the circumstances that led to more losses and a quicker playoff exit than most would have expected, much of the postgame talk for Boston revolved around the injuries and adversities the team faced this season. Marcus Smart discussed the Celtics fight all year to find chemistry with an ever-changing lineup on the court.
"When we're healthy and we have everybody, we're a b---- (to play against)," Smart said, although some might argue the Boston played to a different meaning of that expletive against Irving and Co. in New Jersey.
After his actions told a different story in Boston and having dispatched his former Celtics squad, Irving tried to say all the right things as his Nets continue on their hopeful title run. He also distanced himself from incident in which a fan threw a water bottle at him following Brooklyn win in Boston over the weekend.
"Nothing but respect for the players, the coaching staff over there in Boston," Irving said. "In terms of everything extracurricular in the outside environment, you let that handle itself."
Winners get to say whatever they want, and losers like the Celtics limp into what will be a critical crossroads offseason.
