Boston Celtics: 3 keys to beat the Brooklyn Nets in Christmas Day game

Three keys for the Boston Celtics in order to beat their rival, Brooklyn Nets, in today’s Christmas Day game. Can the Boston Celtics realistically win?

After a miraculous victory against the Milwaukee Bucks, ending with a Jayson Tatum miracle shot and a missed free throw by the league’s two-time reigning MVP to secure the win, the Boston Celtics need everything to go their way once again in a tough matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

Expectations were high for 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets, and in the diminutive small size, the Nets have not disappointed. The Nets comfortably won both preseason games (including one against the Boston Celtics) and then dominated the Golden State Warriors in their season opener.

The long-awaited debuts of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were worth the delay. The two played a combined 50 minutes against the Warriors, scoring 48 points together. But what makes the Nets such a fearful competitor is their outstanding depth that goes eleven men deep (although 15 played in their opener).

On the other hand, Jaylen Brown, Jeff Teague, and Tristan Thompson have all seemed to show drastic improvements, becoming immediately impactful players for Boston. While Jayson Tatum looks to continue playing at the same MVP-level as he did through the second half of last season. Not to mention Marcus Smart successfully–at least so far–taking the reigns as lead ball-handler.

Both teams will be eager to show on national television why the rest of the league should fear their talent, but assuming they each play like they did earlier this week, both need to execute to perfection. For the Boston Celtics, these are the three things they need to do to beat the Nets today.