BROOKLYN — Monday night the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-112 in game 4 to move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs. And with the Nets being swept by Boston, it leaves the bigger question as to whats next for Brooklyn? And how far does this ascend Jayson Tatum in the superstar status?

Despite the first three games, Kevin Durant had a big night with 39 points and nine assists. Before going into this game 4, KD averaged 20 points through the entire series. Boston made it clear that they will get multiple guys to help, contest, and defend for four quarters. 

Jayson Tatum finished with 29 points, even though he fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. But when he was on the floor, him and Jaylen Brown hit tough shots whenever Brooklyn tried to put together a run. Each shot deflated the crowd in the Barclays Center. Brown finished with 22 points. 

The unsung heroes for Boston also balled out on both teams. Marcus Smart dropped 20 points for the C’s and came thru clutch when Tatum fouled out. As for Brooklyn, Seth Curry finally showed out in this series dropping 23 points and hitting five three’s. Blake Griffin played 18 minutes for Andre Drummond. Blake didn’t score a single point but he was able to defend the perimeter, box out, and cause problems for the Celtics offense. 

Kyrie Irving finished with 20 points. All through the series, Boston did a great job in defending Irving on all his attacks towards the basket. They worked on helping and staying in front of Irving despite his lethal crossovers that typically move defenders off balance. 

The Celtics went on a massive run in the third quarter, giving them a double digit lead that Brooklyn had to fight back from. Eventually they were able to bring the game down to one possession in the fourth, but it caused for KD to not come out the game, causing stamina issues for key players.

Nic Claxton was the crutch for Brooklyn. He made a NBA record for most missed free throws to start a playoff game with nine straight. If he hit his free throws, maybe the outcome would have been different. 

Nonetheless, The Celtics will face-off against the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls series. Right now, the Bucks lead the series 3-1. If the Celtics face the reigning champs, they’ll have to come up with a way to stop the Greek Freak and his force in the paint.